Cyanopsitta Magazine.. - Loro Parque Fundación

Transcription

Nº 96 - 2010
The Newsletter of Loro Parque Fundación
YELLOW-EARED PARROT
MOVED DOWN
THE RED LIST
A REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT
VII. INTERNATIONAL
PARROT CONVENTION
CELEBRATING 24 YEARS
THE GREAT GREEN MACAW
FOREST FLAGSHIP IN CENTRAL AMERICA
LP/SP NewS
Nº. 96 - 2010
the newSletter of loro Parque fundación
Message from the Founder
Cyanopsitta is printed using environment friendly, recycled, woodfree coated paper: Symbol Freelife Satin©, FEDRIGONI©
Index
2
Message from the founder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Parrot conventions past, present and future . . .3
LP/SP News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
LPF News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
News of the parrot collection . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Projects up-date: parrots of Luzon . . . . . . . . .16
Annual Report 2009
Projects up-date: Great Green Macaws Costa Rica – Nicaragua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Panama. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Philippine Cockatoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Blue-headed Macaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Parrots and citrus fruits in Dominica . . . . . .28
Constricted Toes syndrome . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
The Yellow-faced Amazon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Cover photo: Great Green Macaws (Ara ambiguus)
editorial Office
Loro Parque S.A.
38400 Puerto de la Cruz
Tenerife, Islas Canarias. España
Tel.: + 34 922 374 081 - Fax: + 34 922 373 110
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
editorial Consultant
Rosemary Low
editorial committee
Javier Almunia, Wolfgang Kiessling, Matthias
Reinschmidt, David Waugh, Rafael Zamora and
Vanessa Figueroa.
Visit our websites
loroparque-fundacion.org / loroparque.com
Membership
Become a member of Loro Parque Fundación
to support us in our activities. You will then
receive our trimestral newsletter Cyanopsitta,
as well as a supporter’s card permitting free
entry to Loro Parque during the validity of your
membership and a visit to our breeding centre.
The current annual membership fees are:
Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100,00€
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,00€
Life member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1500,00€
History shows us that wild species can become endangered quite rapidly
as a result of human activities. They can disappear without us noticing until
it is almost too late. History also shows us that trying to make them safe
again is a lengthy, pain-staking process. But there are some examples of
very threatened species that are making a come-back faster than expected,
and some of these are parrot species in projects of the Loro Parque
Fundación. The shining example, due to remarkable efforts of Fundación
ProAves in Colombia, is the Yellow-eared Parrot of the Andes. Its population
has expanded exponentially, and the situation where it occurs now clearly
favours its continued recovery. This turn-around in its fortunes has been
recognized this year by the World Conservation Union, which has assigned
the species to a safer category in its Red List of threatened species. We can
be proud of this outcome of the project so far, because it is a sad fact that
the changes in categories are normally for the worse.
Such ecological adversity is happening whether the global economy is in a
state of boom or bust, and we can fight and win against it. In these difficult
economic times, we also have the same determination to celebrate the VII
International Parrot Convention, so that all those with an interest in parrots
are not deprived of the leading opportunity worldwide to exchange views
about parrots, their keeping, breeding and conservation. As always, if you
are registered to participate in the Convention, you can expect the warmest
of welcomes, and we have an excellent array of speakers, as well as a firstrate social programme. If you still have not registered, I urge you to do so,
and not to miss the Convention, the wonders of our sub-tropical island of
Tenerife, the great new attractions of Loro Parque, and the world’s largest,
most diverse parrot collection.
You will see from the content of this expanded edition of Cyanopsitta that
Loro Parque and the Fundación have been very active as normal, with a wide
range of activities already completed and many still planned. Siam Park is
also proving to be the best of its kind, and participants in the Convention will
have the chance to experience its delights as part of the social programme.
Enjoy reading about our activities here in Tenerife, and also in far-flung places
of the world, where we have our conservation projects. I very much hope to
welcome you to our Convention.
Please send us your membership subscription by mail, fax or
e-mail, or call us, and we will sign you up immediately.
Bank Account
Banca March, Puerto de la Cruz
Account: 0061 0168 81 005034011-8
IBAN:ES40 0061 0168 8100 5034 0118
BIC:BMARES2M
Banco Santander, Puerto de la Cruz
Account:0049 0290 37 2113529526
IBAN:ES46 0049 0290 3721 1352 9526
BIC:BSCHESMM
BBVA, Puerto de la Cruz
Account: 0182 5310 61 001635615-8
IBAN:ES85 0182 5310 61 0016356158
BIC:BBVAESMM
Legal deposit: TF-1643/2003
Wolfgang Kiessling
President, Loro Parque Fundación
Saving wildlife and habitats
The International Parrot
Convention: looking
forward and looking back
The excitement is mounting as the dates, the 22nd to 25th
September, for the VII International Parrot Convention approach.
The Convention programme, as always with very well-known
international speakers, offers something for everyone. All the
presentations are translated simultaneously in German, English,
Spanish and French, for participants to be able to understand
everything very well. The Convention will also give the perfect
opportunity to visit Loro Parque to enjoy all its attractions, and
especially to see the beautiful new lory enclosures and the
outstanding Katandra Treetops free-flight aviary for Australian and
Asian parrots and other birds. Since the last Parrot Convention
in 2006 we have created a lot of new attractions in Loro Parque,
so that every visit will be worth-while. The programme (a copy
accompanies this article), all necessary information, and the
registration formalities can be obtained from the corresponding
Coordinator of your Country, or on the web page www.loroparquefundacion.org/en. There are still a few places available - don’t miss
an unforgettable event.
Fig. 2. Increase over time of speakers from parrot range countries.
Naturally, time stops for no man, and since the first convention
in 1986 there are several expert speakers who no longer share
this planet with us. We can name for example the pre-eminent
aviculturists John Stoodley (UK), Peter Them (Denmark) and Dale
Thompson (USA). Also from the USA we have lost Jan van Oosten,
renowned lory enthusiast, and Dr. Ulysses seal, former Chairman
of the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group of the World
Conservation Union (IUCN). It is fitting that one of the deceased
speakers from the very first convention, Dr. Romuald Burkard,
should be given appropriate recognition in the key-note speech of
the 2010 Convention.
Fig. 1. The regions of origin of previous speakers.
In looking forward to this year’s Convention, it is also interesting
to look back at the previous conventions, and make a few
comparisons. For example, figure 1 shows the regions from which
the 130 expert speakers of the previous six international parrot
conventions have come. Most have come from Europe, in part
reflecting the inclusion of Tenerife in this region and the easier
communications, but related also to the rich and varied tradition
of aviculture in the region. Overall, the speakers have come from
23 different countries, from New Zealand to the Netherlands, and
Colombia to Canada. By no means have all these speakers given
presentations only about parrots in their own countries. Many
speakers from Europe and North America, regions where parrots
are not native (in the case of the USA, no longer native), gave
presentations about parrots in the places where these species live.
In fact, an encouraging trend is evident in figure 2, where can be
seen the increasing proportion of speakers coming from countries
where parrots are native.
3
Of the species included in the 130 previous presentations, there are
too many to list. In fact the majority (58%) of speeches have dealt
with topics affecting all parrots, while the remainder can be broadly
assigned to speeches concerning either New World (the Americas)
or Old World (everywhere else), as shown in figure 3. Within these
broad categories, the most frequent groups of parrots to which
individual presentations were dedicated have been the macaws
(9% of talks), amazons and cockatoos (6% each), and the lories
(3%). Overall, 30 presentations have dealt with a particular parrot
species or genus. Perhaps not surprisingly, the species which has
Fig. 3. Main groupings of parrots included in presentations.
received the most attention from single presentations has been the
magnificent Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus).
The topics covered in the previous conventions have been many
and varied. Dividing them broadly into parrots under controlled
conditions (ex situ – aviculture, captive management and
breeding, cooperative breeding programmes, etc), and parrots
in the wild (in situ – ecology, threats, conservation management,
etc), there has been a change over the years. Figure 4 illustrates
how the proportion of presentations related to in situ topics has
gradually increased. This evolution is a reflection of many factors,
including increased demand from parrot breeders and pet owners
to become more involved in parrot conservation. Within the sphere
of captive management, topics in single presentations related to
health care and diseases achieved the highest proportion (13.8%),
while another 14.5% of single presentations dealt with nutrition,
behaviour, reproduction and genetics.
Fig. 4. Increase over time of “in situ” topics included in speeches.
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We look forward to seeing you in
September
Saving wildlife and habitatS
5
LP/SP News
Loro Parque receives the 2010 Gold Medal of the Canary Islands
Wolfgang Kiessling (left) receives his Gold Medal from Paulino Rivero, President, Canary Islands’ Government
Loro Parque has been accorded the
highest recognition by the Government
of the Canary Islands which has awarded
the Gold Medal 2010 to its president
Wolfgang Kiessling, for his “business
wisdom”, “commitment to the environment
and nature conservation”. This award,
the granting of which was agreed by the
Council, of Government, rewards the work
and effort in the innovation made by the
company for the benefit of society in the
Islands, at a time when the financial and
economic crisis seriously plaguing the
tourist industry demands will and hard
work to deal with it. The presenting of the
medal took place on May 30th, Day of the
Canaries, in the Alfredo Kraus auditorium
of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Loro Parque receives
the 200,000,000th
visitor to Tenerife
Siam Park receives its first million visitors
Siam Park received on July 17th its 1,000,000th
visitor since it opened its doors in September
2008, to surprise everyone with its unique
attractions, and it celebrated in style with
Padrón Echandi family from La Matanza, who
did not expect to become the millionth visitors
to the most spectacular aquatic realm. Its
director, Christoph Kiessling, received them
at the entrance and presented an honorary
diploma, as well as other gifts and photos as
a special memento of this day.
In June, Loro Parque was visited by the 200
millionth visitors to Tenerife, who came for
a week’s vacation to the fortunate island.
This was the family del Oso, from Madrid,
whose members (mother, father and son)
used the good weather of the island to get
to know Loro Parque and enjoy its animals
and gardens.
The European Councillors for Environment visit
Loro Parque
On June 29, Loro Parque was visited
by 15 Councillors for Environment of
the European Union who, as part of an
official visit to Tenerife within the Spanish
Presidency of the EU, made a special trip
to the park, guided by the park’s general
director, Salvador Iglesias Machado and
directors of Loro Parque Fundación, David
Waugh and Javier Almunia.
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Loro Parque, created by Wolfgang
Kiessling 38 years ago, has from the
beginning advanced towards excellence
and quality of its facilities, with animal
welfare, innovation and constant renewal
being its primary objective, realities that
have earned numerous awards at national
and international level for its commitment to
the environment and nature conservation.
Loro Parque seeks
pre-teen director for
the park
Loro Parque has launched a pioneering
children’s
environmental
awareness
campaign in Spain and is seeking two
pre-teen directors, aged 8 and 12, to
form part of the management team and
the environment department. At the same
time, the two young who are chosen from
LP/SP News
all those in the casting will participate in the
decision-making, and give their views on
conservation action and awareness-raising
in the population, conducted by Loro
Parque, on environmental protection and
the important role played by educational
programmes for these issues in children.
Explosion of life in
Loro Parque with the
birth of two sea-lions
Loro Parque has started the summer by
extending its family of animals thanks
to the birth of two Californian Sea-lions.
The little pups, each of which weighs
approximately 9 kg and which are now
being fed by their mothers, which give
them constant attention in as well as out
of the water. With these two births, Loro
Parque reaches 17 individuals born in
the park, confirming the excellent state
of welfare these marine mammals enjoy
in their facilities, as well as those of
Siam Park where, since 2008 resides a
part of the group of 25 sea-lions that the
company holds.
The pups, two playful males, spend most of
their time with their mothers swimming and
playing in the roomy installations provided for
them by Loro Parque. After up to one year of
lactation they will start eating fish and become
more independent, and will be able to join
in the games of the rest of this successful
group. They have not yet been baptised, and
a competition to choose names for the pups
is running on the park’s Facebook site; see
www.loroparque.com or facebook.com/
loroparque for more details, and where
whoever wants to can add their suggestions
and thus choose the names as one of all the
members of this virtual community.
Loro Parque offers
the facilities of its
aquarium to Paul the
octopus
Loro Parque inaugurates its new exhibition of
otters
In July, Loro Parque offered the comforts
of its aquarium to Paul the octopus,
following the request to Germany by the
Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade,
Miguel Sebastian, to move the cephalopod
mollusc to Spain “as a national hero” after
it to portended the Spanish victory over
Holland in the World Cup. In this sense,
Loro Parque extended the invitation to
Governments and to the park of Sea Life
Oberhausen where the world’s most
famous cephalopod lives.
Loro Park continues to expand its range
of attractions, and to bet on the quality
and variety of its facilities, and has
therefore opened an exhibition of Oriental
small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus),
thereby extending its family of animals.
These cute and playful mammals add
to the great family of animals in the best
known park of Spain. The opening of
this new facility took place on 23rd April
and was attended by the President of
The Californian Sea-lion (Zalophus
californianus) belongs to the group of
seals and sea- lions, specifically to the
family of eared seals, and lives on the
coasts of the Northern Pacific Ocean.
They are characterized by the great
difference in size between males and
females. While the males can reach
between 300 – 380 kg, the females
weigh only 90 – 100 kg. They live on
fish and molluscs and are the only
mammals with lactose-free milk. They
are very sociable and playful, living
in numerous groups and interacting
constantly.
the Tenerife Island Government, Ricardo
Melchior, who inaugurated the exhibition
with the Mayor of Puerto de la Cruz,
Marcos Brito and the President of Loro
Parque, Wolfgang Kiessling. The event
was also attended by various authorities,
members of the consular corps and
representatives of the tourism sector,
who were pleasantly surprised with the
peculiar games of these animals and
their dynamic behaviour.
7
LP/SP News
Loro Parque visited
by the Bollywood star,
Terence Lewis
Manu Tenorio greets
his fans and presents
his disc in the Hotel
Botánico
Expo-Orca in La Palma
Loro Parque Fundación and the La Palma
Island Government inaugurated on July 7th
the Expo-Orca exhibition at the Convent
of San Francisco. This exhibition, which
aims to raise awareness of the importance
of caring for and protecting our seas by
bringing together art and nature in one
symbolic expression, was open to the
public free of charge until 7th August. The
19 almost life-size pieces were designed
and painted by 11 of the most renowned
contemporary artists of the islands and
five social groups that, being committed
to the work of the Fundación, gave their
support, creativity and talent in the artistic
interpretation of the sculptures.
Manu Tenorio, Silvia Casas and dolphins
Terence Lewis and his wife
In July we were visited by famous Bollywood
choreographer Terence Lewis, who came
to Tenerife for the first time, accompanied
by his wife, to teach a course of Bollywood
in the Hotel Botánico, attended by some
60 people from across the island. On his
departure he was recognized by park
visitors for his program "Dance India
Dance", number one on Zee TV, with an
audience of more than 10 million viewers.
On Tuesday 29th June in the Hotel
Botanico, Manu Tenorio presented his
new album called "The Law of Attraction."
The presentation to the media took place
in the gardens of the hotel and then the
singer from Seville was available to answer
questions from his fans, sign autographs,
take pictures and share moments with
those who came to greet him in this "Meet &
Greet "organized by the 5-star luxury hotel.
The young singer shot to fame after starring
in the talent show “Operación Triunfo”,
came to Tenerife with his wife, the journalist
Silvia Casas, with whom he took advantage
of good weather on the island for rest and
relaxation at the Oriental Spa Garden.
Loro Parque receives
a visit from Princess
Alexia of Greece and
her family
Loro Parque Fundación organizes el prepremiere in the Canary Islands of the film
“Oceans”
On the occasion of the celebration of Earth
Day, Loro Parque Fundación collaborated
with the producer Vertex 360 and organized
the pre-premiere in the Canary Islands
of the movie “Oceans”, considered the
most accomplished wildlife documentary
production in the history of cinema. The
pre-premiere took place on Thursday 22nd
April at the Yelmo Cinema La Orotava,
located in the La Villa Commercial
Centre and those who were interested
in attending, could get free invitations
through the Facebook web pages of Loro
Parque and Loro Parque Fundación.
The Loro Parque trainers visit the children at the
University Hospital
On 16 July, the team of trainers of Loro
Parque and and educators of the Loro
Parque Fundación visited the children in
the paediatric ward of the Canary Islands’
University Hospital, where they conducted a
live videoconference of educational fun, with
8
the park’s aquarium and the display of sharks.
Later the trainers and keepers of the dolphins,
parrots, sea lions and aquarium arrived at the
hospital in the orca cars to greet the children,
to bring gifts and books, and to share the
morning with games and play activities.
Princess Alexia of Greece and family
Loro Parque has received the private visit
from Princess Alexia of Greece, who took
advantage of the weather in Tenerife to
enjoy a family day with her husband and
all her children. The princess, who is the
eldest child of King Constantine and
Queen Anne Marie of Greece, and her
husband did not miss any detail of the new
attraction Katandra Treetops, enjoyed the
shows of dolphins, orcas and sea lions with
youngsters of the family, and discovered
the secrets of the most recognised zoo of
Spain, accompanied by the President of
the park Wolfgang Kiessling.
LP/SP NewS
40 European parrot breeders participate in a practical workshop of Loro
Parque Fundación
as hand-rearing of various species,
many endangered. In this international
meeting were included over 20 training
sessions on breeding, health care and
feeding of parrots.
Loro
Parque
Fundación
brought
together 40 breeders of parrots from
Germany, Austria and Switzerland in the
12 th practical workshop on parrots, that
took place in Puerto de la Cruz, from 10 th
to 14 th May. In this meeting, curators,
veterinarians, biologists and keepers
participated in various sessions about
proper feeding practices, balanced
health and medical aspects, as well
Loro Parque supports
the life-guard team of
the Puerto de la Cruz
beaches
Loro Parque and Siam Park soon in detail in
Google Maps
Loro Parque is working with the city
council of Puerto de la Cruz in providing
work uniforms for the professional team
of lifeguards of the municipality. Also, the
18 members of the beaches and coasts
protection corps visited Loro Parque
before starting their season provide their
services in Lake Martianez, Playa Jardín
and other beaches of the Puerto de la Cruz
community.
Loro Parque and Siam Park have been
visited by the Google Maps photographers,
who travelled to Tenerife with their bike to
get a closer picture of the most impressive
parks in the Canary Islands. The drivers of
this curious panoramic imaging system,
built on a bicycle, have covered the most
unexpected places in Europe with this
means of transport in search of the most
striking images, and therefore have chosen
Loro Parque and Siam Park in Tenerife for
inclusion as special enclaves in the giant
Google Maps. The photographs that
reveal some of the secrets of these parks
will be available soon in this geographic
information system.
9
lpf News
New Reserve to protect the Indigo-winged Parrot
conservation at national level. This new protected area, the GilesFuertesi Bird Reserve, is 149 hectares of highland and cloud forest
in Cajamarca, located between 3,200 and 3,700 meters with an
average temperature of 11 degrees Celsius. Besides the Indigo winged parrot there are also Golden-plumed Parakeets (Leptosittaca
branicki), Rufous-fronted Parakeets (Bolborhynchus ferrugineifrons),
and mammals such as Spectacled bears (Tremarctos ornatus).
Indigo-winged Parrot
For 91 years, the Indigo-winged parrot or Fuertes’s parrot
(Hapalopsittaca fuertesi) was thought extinct, and then in 2002, the
ProAves team rediscovered a colony of 60 individuals of these birds
in an area of cloud forest in the Central Andes of Colombia. This is in
the municipality of Cajamarca, Tolima, an area called the country’s
agricultural breadbasket, which means an unsustainable agricultural
frontier expanding more and more in the region. Also in Cajamarca,
one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country is
under development, the Tunnel of the Line, which will connect the
centre and south-west of the country through the Central Andean
mountain chain. To add to this, a dual carriageway between Bogotá
and Armenia also is being built.
Since 2003 the Loro Parque Fundación has been supporting
the conservation of the Indigo-winged parrot, and in view of the
developing pressures, the creation of a protected area that can
preserve the high relicts of Andean Forest is a great achievement for
The reserve is protected in perpetuity and will become the
research centre for the Indigo-winged parrot, with the aim of
expanding the knowledge of the natural history of this population,
developing studies on habitat use, behaviour and reproduction.
The artificial nests program is being implemented, with 20 artificial
nests placed in January 2010, in order to increase and stabilize
the populations of parrots which are highly affected by the lack of
natural nests in the area.
The new protected area is in high elevation forest
Pride Campaign to help the Yellow-eared Parrot in Colombia
For over ten years ProAves has been carrying out measures
for conservation and environmental education in the town of
Roncesvalles, Tolima with the support of Loro Parque Fundación. This
year the organization RARE Conservation will help to develop a Pride
Campaign, that inspires people to take pride in the natural resources
that make their communities unique and take action to protect
them. Loro Parque Fundación has previously worked with RARE to
implement a Pride Campaign to help protect the Phu Khieo Wildlife
Sanctuary in Thailand.
The new campaign will build on existing awareness
The agreement reached with RARE has the objective to generate
environmental awareness and actions to promote conservation of
the forest and open habitats of the Yellow-eared parrot, by means of
the Pride Campaign and the establishment of reciprocal agreements
for water. Roncesvalles is the specific place where RARE will guide
10
efforts to promote sustainable production systems and conservation
of forests in the upper basin of the Cucuana river, in addition to the
settlements downstream. Human pressures such as the expansion
of livestock and the agricultural frontier, logging, overgrazing and
unsustainable production techniques are the main causes of
deterioration of ecosystems in Roncesvalles.
The high mountain ecosystems in the municipality supply
hydrological environmental services including the water supply for
human consumption, irrigation, power generation, climate regulation
and biodiversity conservation. The values that these ecosystem
services acquire have not been measured in economic terms and
their deterioration has generated the need to recognize that they
are finite, and thus to make decisions that promote conservation
and sustainable use, including to protect the habitat of endangered
species like the Yellow-eared Parrot.
The Pride Campaign seeks to promote cultural values of environmental
responsibility, and through environmental education the way
people think and act towards ecosystems can be transformed.
Implementation of the Pride Campaign will promote the establishment
of reciprocal agreements related to the water of the Cucuana River
basin. Thus, the inhabitants of the upper basin will receive incentives
for conservation as a voluntary result of the institutions and people of
the lower basin. These in their turn will benefit from the environmental
goods produced by these ecosystems. ProAves is implementing the
first phase of the process, the “Participatory planning”, to define the
current state of the ecosystems and the most appropriate way to
implement the campaign.
LPf NewS
Official: the IUCN Red List declares the Yellow-eared Parrot safer
In response to our successful conservation
initiative that has brought back the
Yellow-eared
Parrot
(Ognorhynchus
icterotis), a species once thought extinct,
the World Conservation Union (IUCN)
has determined that the status of the
species has improved from “Critically
Endangered” to “Endangered” in the
Red List of threatened species. Many in
the birding-watching, bird-keeping and
wildlife communities rejoiced in 1998 when
a group of researchers, who later formed
Colombian NGO Fundación ProAves
funded by the Loro Parque Fundación,
discovered in the Andes of Colombia a
colony of 81 Yellow-eared Parrots.
rediscovery of this parrot species, and
the need to ensure the survival of the bird
and protect its fragile habitat in Colombia
caused ProAves to launch the Yelloweared Parrot Project, with support from the
Loro Parque Fundación, as well as from
the American Bird Conservancy (ABC).
Reacting to the IUCN’s announcement,
Alonso Quevedo, President of ProAves
said
“Today, almost 11 years later, we see the
results of the ongoing work of over 180
individuals and 47 organizations around the
world. This also includes contributions by
local communities as well as success in
research, conservation and environmental
education activities.”
"Since 1999 the Loro Parque Fundación
has supported ProAves in its exceptional
efforts to bring about the recovery
of the Yellow-eared Parrot. With the
announcement today that this species is no
longer Critically Endangered, we are proud
that our support of almost US$ 950,000
has paid off in the best possible way. The
come-back of the Yellow-eared Parrot is
singularly impressive, and the conservation
programme of ProAves should be used as
a model of success to avoid the extinction
of other threatened parrots." added
Wolfgang Kiessling, President of Loro
Parque Foundation.
That jubilation was tempered by the fact
that a new responsibility and challenge
needed to be faced, protecting the
environment around these birds and
growing this colony to levels that would
better ensure its long term viability. The
A key to the success in this breakthrough
in Yellow-eared Parrot conservation was
the support and commitment of local
governments, rural communities and
environmental education projects such as
the "Loro Bus - Environmental Education
Mobile Classroom, which had a remarkable
array of achievements through its visits
to 17 departments and 43 municipalities
in Colombia. 21,492 students from 101
schools, as well as 5,031 members of
the communities benefited from the
environmental education and conservation
awareness activities.
Another important effort has involved the
wax palm, Colombia's national tree which
is also in danger of extinction. Because the
tree provides critical habitat for the Yelloweared Parrot, a campaign was successfully
instituted to reduce the use of the wax
palm for Palm Sunday celebrations by
the Catholic Church in Colombia, which
whole-heartedly supported the campaign.
The successful partnership of the Loro
Parque Fundación and Fundación ProAves
continues, with the aim to arrive at the
complete recovery of the Yellow-eared
Parrot so that the IUCN can remove it
completely from the Red List.
“This stunning and truly remarkable
success shows what can be achieved
when committed organizations, institutions
and individuals come together with a
clear and common purpose -- to save
a species,” declared ABC’s President
George Fenwick.
11
LPF News
News from the Loro Parque Fundación parrot collection
Major Michell’s Cockatoos (Cacatua
leadbeateri), which have adapted very
quickly to their new environment, as well
as being a real eye-catcher. Apart from the
fact that the population of 120 birds is very
stable, and there is an easy cohabitation
of all the different species, for the visitors
it is a great experience to see the parrots
and other birds all together without any
separating mesh or other barrier.
February
Major Michell’s Cockatoo
After three years we can finally announce
once again an egg from our Spix’s Macaw
(Cyanopsitta spixii) breeding pair, which
was separated for two years and reunited in
January 2009. It took just over one year until
have developed a new idea in our special
enrichment programme for them. Keas
come from the mountain regions of New
Zealand above the tree line, where they
are naturally accustomed to snow and ice,
which is very typical there in the winter. This
feature gives us the occasional opportunity
to fill wheelbarrows with snow from the
penguin house and build in the aviary
a small snow mountain. There, we hide
some open walnuts, which are eagerly
sought after by the excavating Keas. They
also love to slide down this snow mountain
together. Such a snow mountain even
remains for several hours in our warm
weather in Tenerife, gives the animal plenty
of variety and offers the visitors lots of fun
to see the Keas in Tenerife snow.
January
At the end of every breeding year, the
balance is drawn-up and evaluated, and
the total breeding result for 2009 with 1,214
young parrots can be rated as an average
breeding year. The highlights have certainly
been the four young Lear’s Macaws
(Anodorhynchus leari), the Yellow-tailed
Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus), two
Palm Cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus),
the Scaly-naped Amazon (Amazona
mercenaria), two Yellow-crowned Amazons
(Amazona ochrocephala xantholaema),
three Red-spectacled Parrots (Amazona
pretrei), four Pesquet’s Parrots (Psittrichas
fulgidus),
the
Short-tailed
Parrot
(Graydidascalus brachyurus), as well as
two Mindanao Lorikeets (Trichoglossus
johnstoniae), four Red-fronted Lorikeets
(Charmosyna rubronotata), eight Gustav’s
Parakeets (Brotogeris cyanoptera gustavi)
and the Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta
pachyrhyncha).
In the new year we have already been
able to ring the first 18 parrot chicks.
Besides some lovebirds (Agapornis), two
Blue-crowned Lories (Vini australis) and
two Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus
haematodus capsitratus) were born.
With our latest Loro Parque project,
“Katandra Treetops”, which has now been
open for four months, we have learned many
things. The Moluccan Cockatoos (Cacatua
moluccensis) originally introduced into the
aviary were great too observe, but they got
too tame and confident with the visitors, so
that one or another earring got snatched.
Therefore we decided to take them out of
the aviary and to replace them by some
12
Red-necked Lorikeet
the female laid one egg again, on the 13th
of February, which she has been incubating
since that day. We still do not know if it is
fertile, but our hopes are high to be able to
build further on “our” breeding success.
The other two pairs of Spix’s Macaw are
now visiting the nest-boxes extensively, so
hopefully we can soon report more eggs.
These females are only six and four years
old, although old enough to lay, given
the endoscopic findings of the last year.
However, the youngest female which ever
laid eggs in the breeding program for the
Spix’s Macaw was six years old.
Meanwhile, the first two Kea chicks (Nestor
notabilis) have hatched out and are being
reared in the Baby Station of Loro Parque.
Another pair has started to breed for the
first time and is now incubating three
eggs. For our Keas at Loro Parque we
Currently one of our Red-tailed Black
Cockatoo
pairs
(Calyptorhynchus
magnificus) is breeding for the second
time. After the egg of the first clutch was
infertile, a second egg was laid, but at
this moment we cannot say whether or
not it is fertile. Also our Pesquet’s Parrots
(Psittrichas fulgidus) have again started
the breeding season very early with two
fertile eggs that we have transferred to the
incubator for artificial incubation.
Kea in the snow
LPf NewS
After the birds had arrived safely into
the state quarantine of Sao Paulo, Dr.
Reinschmidt and Mr. Elstner, accompanied
by a German television crew of the SWR
which is filming a documentary for the
first German television channel (ARD),
continued travelling to look for some
history and “traces” and at the same time
to visit the parrot conservation projects,
financed by the LPF.
Blue-headed Macaw chicks
The Blue-headed Macaws (Primolius
couloni) have also had a very good
beginning of the season, as four chicks
which are currently growing in the Baby
Station of Loro Parque, while another pair
has started to lay eggs.
STOP PRESS: The Spix’s Macaw egg was
fertile and successfully hatched, and the
chick is growing strongly. More details soon.
March/April
Our Spix’s Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii)
which hatched on the 11th of March and is
hand-reared is developing beautifully and
with 35 days of life now weighs 258 g.
The 22nd of March was a memorable
day, because for the first time two young
animals that were bred in the Loro Parque
Foundation, returned to their home country
Brasil, to be paired with the appropriate
partners from the zoos of Sao Paulo
and Belo Horizonte. This event occurs
within the breeding programmes for the
Spix’s Macaw, extinct in the wild and the
endangered Lear’s Macaw (Anodorhynchus
leari). Thus, the Curator of the LPF, Dr.
Matthias Reinschmidt, was accompanied
by one of the Ambassadors of the Loro
Parque Foundation, the famous German
showmaster and presenter, Frank Elstner.
Matthias Reinschmidt, Frank Elstner, and Spix’s and
Lear’s Macaws
In the Caatinga they visited the former
habitat of the Spix’s Macaw, and the
breeding cliffs and feeding areas of the
Lear’s Macaw. They were able to observe
flocks with up to 150 Lear’s Macaw. After
that the trip took them to the Pantanal,
the largest swamp area of the world, and
the retreat of the Hyacinthine Macaw
(Anodorhynchus
hyacinthinus).
Here
among the many blue macaws they also
many other parrots and birds as well
as many mammals and caimans. The
90-minute documentary of the trip will be
broadcast at the end of the year on the first
German television channel.
In mid-March, the President of the Loro
Parque Fundación, Wolfgang Kiessling,
and the biologist Rafael Zamora,
represented the Loro Parque Fundación in
Doha, the capital of Qatar, at the triennial
international Conference of the Parties of
CITES (Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora) – COP15. The Loro Parque
Fundación was represented there among
other numerous conservation organizations
and government representatives from
over 150 countries around the world. The
most important negotiation point for all
participants was to preserve biodiversity
of our planet. The LPF is always consulted
in this regard because of its many
conservation projects for endangered
species and broad experience.
Up to the end of March, 254 young parrots
had already been ringed in the LPF, and
therefore the breeding year has had a very
promising start, because of the numbers
being much higher than last year.
May
Up to the end of April we have ringed 418
young parrots, and so this is a very good
breeding year. Furthermore, the young
Spix´s Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) has
developed well and now, with 68 days of
life, is ready to fledge.
A very special first brood for the Loro
Parque Fundación is currently growing up
with its parents. In autumn of the last year
we received Cape parrots (Poicephalus
robustus) from the French zoo of Mulhouse.
The pair has started in the spring to lay
eggs and all the 6 eggs were fertile, but
unfortunately three of them died. However,
three chicks hatched, and are now beign
reared by their exemplary parents.
A pair of Scaly-headed parrots (Pionus
maximilianii), newly formed in January,
surprised us in April with a clutch of
four fertile eggs, from which four chicks
hatched and are now growing up with
their parents. We had a very rare breeding
success from our Fergusson Island Lories
(Lorius hypoinochrous devittatus). It is very
difficult to find this species of lory kept
in captivity, but in 2010 we have already
ringed 6 chicks. This is an important
breeding success, which contributes to the
maintaining of aviary stocks.
At the moment the Loro Parque Fundación
(LPF) is working, in cooperation with
the Clinic for birds, reptiles, amphibians
and fish, of the Justus-Liebig-University
Giessen, on a very interesting research
project for semen collection and artificial
Young Spix’s Macaw · Author: Ulrich Brodde
13
LPf NewS
2010 in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife) this
dream can come real for each participant.
In addition to the Hyacinth Macaws in
the public part of the park, we have also
recently put Lear’s Macaws on exhibition.
Congress participants who have booked
the visit to the “non-public” breeding
station of the Loro Parque Fundación in
La Vera will have the opportunity to see,
in a separate part of the centre, our new
Spix’s Macaw chick and its 6 year old
sister. This is a unique opportunity that
should not be missed, but also just one of
the many reasons to participate in the 7th
International Parrot Convention.
Purple-naped Lory
insemination of parrots. The LPF is
financing a stipend for the veterinarian
Daniel Neumann, who is working on this
research project in the parrot breeding
station every day during the breeding
season with the LPF veterinarian Heiner
Müller and the Curator Dr. Matthias
Reinschmidt.
Brood of Tirika parakeets
From the 8th to the 15th of May 2010 the
12th Parrots Workshop was held in Loro
Parque by the Loro Parque Fundación in
conjunction with the magazine Papageien.
During one week about 40 participants
from Germany, Austria and Switzerland
had the opportunity to attend numerous
presentations by experts, and also to get a
very special look behind the scenes of Loro
Parque and the Loro Parque Fundación.
The response of all participants was very
positive and they insist that the organizer
does a Parrots Workshop again next year,
because many of the participants want to
come back.
June
Philippine cockatoo
14
Once in a lifetime, to see all at the same
time living Spix´s Macaws (Cyanopsitta
spixii), Lear´s Macaw (Anodorhynchus
leari) and, completing the “Blue Macaw
Trio”, Hyacinth Macaws (Anodorhynchus
hyacinthus), is the dream of many parrot
lovers. During the 7th International Parrot
Congress of Loro Parque and the Loro
Parque Fundación (22-25 September
At the very beginning of June, our two
breeding pairs of Lear’s Macaw´s have
begun to lay eggs, so this year we will again
have young birds, especially since the first
egg has already emerged as fertilized.
Until mid June we have been able to ring
680 young parrots, a sign that the breeding
year continues very well. Particularly
pleasing are two young Philippine
Cockatoos (Cacatua haematuropygia),
which are currently being reared lovingly
by hand in the Baby Station of Loro Parque.
Also our Brotogeris parakeets are making
us very happy this year, because we have
continued with the breeding success
of last year of the Gustav’s Parakeets
(Brotogeris cyanoptera gustavi). This
parrot subspecies was bred for the first
time in Europe in 2009 by the Loro Parque
Fundación. The successful breeding pair
of last year has again produced five young
birds. Moreover, our second breeding
pair was successful, so that now we can
form young pairs from different bloodlines.
This is a very important step to establish
Lory aviaries
LPF News
aviaries in Loro Parque have been
completed. From previously 48 aviaries,
each one showing just a single pair of
each species, we have now created 7 big
aviaries, which show the same number
of birds as before, but in groups. These
enclosures now house birds usually
separated according to their species and
size, matching each group of species
that get together well. In the first aviary
we have Chalcopsitta lories and Dusky
lories (Pseudeus), followed by the Lorius
lories and the red lories (Eos). The fourth
aviary is reserved for the Charmosyna
The very naturally designed aviaries have
an artificial cliff, in which small openings
lead to the concealed nest-boxes.
Extensive vegetation gives the viewers
the impression that they are observing
the lories in the wild. The most beautiful
effect, however, are the lories themselves,
because the available space to fly and
to play, for these birds which are always
moving, is expanded tremendously, and
also the interactions between the different
species contribute to the entertainment
and health of the birds. They have been
very peaceful, and we expect that with
lories, followed by two aviaries which
include the big species complex of
Trichoglossus. The last aviary houses
all the small birds from the following
species: Collared lories (Phigys),
Vini, Glossopsitta, Oreopsittacus and
Neopsittacus lories, and including the
hanging-parrots (Loriculus).
this aviary size the future coexistence of
different species of lories will work perfectly.
Fairy lorikeets
a self-sustaining breeding population of
this “new” parrot subspecies in Europe,
until now uniquely in Loro Parque. We are
also very happy about our five young Tirika
parakeets (Brotogeris tirica). The breeding
pair arrived only a few months ago from
Germany, and it is obvious from the
breeding success that they are very well
acclimatized, raising their chicks without
any problem.
By any measure, the new lory enclosures
in Loro Parque are an absolute highlight for
every parrot-lover, and can be visited from
now on daily during the opening times of
the park.
After almost half a year of filming six days
a week, at the end of June the filming in
Loro Parque for the new TV series “Parrots,
Palms and Co.” has finished. From the
31st of August onwards, the 40 chapter
series will be broadcast daily from 16.10
to 17.00 on the first German television
channel, ARD. It will offer the viewers an
insight into the everyday work of biologists,
veterinarians, trainers and keepers of Loro
Parque and Loro Parque Fundación, and
also behind the scenes of the park.
July
Also just in time for the 7th International
Parrot Congress, changes in the lory
Blue-crowned Lory
15
PROJECTS UP-DATE
Ecology and conservation of the endemic parrots
of Luzon, Philippines
The Philippine islands form a region of high biodiversity and high endemism, with many
threatened species. However, the knowledge about many native species, including parrots,
is insufficient for conservation actions to be adopted. Therefore, the Loro Parque Fundación
is supporting research necessary to accumulate information in the island of Luzon about the
parrots, and incidentally also about native pigeons and hornbills. Carmela Española from the
University of the Philippines, Diliman is the Philippine national leading the field research, which
will contribute to her doctorate at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK.
Twelve species of parrot occur in the Philippines, of which only one
(Blue-backed Parrot Tanygnathus sumatranus) is not endemic to the
country. The research project concentrates on seven parrot species
in lowland and mid-altitude forests in Luzon. The overall aim is to use
ecological and socio-economic data to develop optimal conservation
measures for the island’s parrot species. The project is still at a
relatively early stage, but Carmela has already reported on her initial
research excursions into the forests. After obtaining the necessary
research permissions, and equipment and supplies, she began the
field work in the Bataan region of south-west Central Luzon.
The results are available for the first proper survey (until February
2010), where the research team walked a total of 42.4 kilometres of
transect in Bataan over a total of 17 days. There were four survey
sites: (1) Apaliin Trail, Subic, (2) Boton River, Subic, (3) Mt. Natib,
Orani, (4) Nagbalayong, Morong. This survey yielded 4 species of
parrots, 19 species of pigeons and 2 species of hornbills. Table
1 shows the total species list and numbers recorded (relative
frequency of occurrence) where, among the parrots, the Guaiabero
was recorded between 4.5 and 12 times more frequently than the
other parrot species.
A pilot study was carried out to learn parrot, pigeon and hornbill
calls, to practice using the survey equipment and methodology, to
measure the walking pace of each member of the team, and to set
the pace and quality of the survey. Carmela recruited two trained
para-botanists to the team, both members of the Magbukon tribe
of Aytas—an indigenous people based in Morong, Bataan. Apart
from their expertise in plants, they have exceptional skills in locating
birds as well as imitating their calls. The original target of surveying
5 kilometres of transect a day was not possible due to the difficult
terrain and skittish ground pigeons such as the Luzon Bleedingheart (Gallicolumba luzonica) and Common Emerald Dove
(Chalcophaps indica) that fly off at the slight sound of footsteps on
dried leaves. In easy and well-used forest trails, longer transects
are possible with a high detection rate for ground pigeons.
Table 1: Species list and numbers recorded during the
Bataan survey
Parrots
Guaiabero
Bolbopsittacus lunulatus
219
Blue-naped Parrot
Tanygnathus lucionensis
18
Green Racquet-tail
Prioniturus luconensis
30
Colasisi
Loriculus philippensis
48
Pompadour Green-Pigeon
Treron pompadora
49
White-eared Brown-Dove
Phapitreron leucotis
129
Amethyst Brown-Dove
Phapitreron amethystinus
28
Cream-bellied Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus merrilli
1
Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus occipitalis
6
Black-chinned Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus leclancheri
2
Green Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula aenea
21
Philippine Cuckoo-Dove
Macropygia tenuirostris
8
Common Emerald Dove
Chalcophaps indica
5
Luzon Bleeding-heart
Gallicolumba luzonica
1
Tarictic Hornbill
Penelopides manillae
98
Rufous Hornbill
Buceros hydrocorax
42
Philippine Hanging-Parrot
Pigeons
Hornbills
16
Planning the field-work
Loro Parque Fundación
Annual Report 2009
Dramatic recovery of the Yellow-eared Parrot after 10 years of help
Katandra Treetops: wonderful new exhibition of LPF parrots
Expanding our environmental education with video-conferences
830,000 euros directly for research and conservation
The Loro Parque Fundación (LPF), with headquarters in Loro Parque, Tenerife, Spain, operates internationally
to conserve threatened species and their habitats, through education, applied research, responsible breeding
programmes, and community-based conservation activities that use these species as ambassadors for nature.
These flagship species are parrots on land
and cetaceans (whales and dolphins)
in the oceans. These animals have
interesting behaviours, bright colours,
and other characteristics which easily
attract the attention of people, making
them effective emblems to increase
support for environmental protection.
Despite the difficult economic climate, in
2009 the LPF was able to direct the record
amount of 830,000 euros for activities
resulting in the protection of species and
their habitats, working in partnership with
many local organisations. This increased
commitment to conservation was
possible due to the continued prudent
management of the resources of the LPF.
Conservation
In 2009, the LPF supported 31 projects for the management and
conservation of wild species parrots and cetaceans across 18
countries. The projects in the wild of the LPF encompass many
activities, including applied research, measures to protect and
restore threatened species and their habitats, and the participation
of local communities in environmental education and sustainable
development.
2009 marked the 10 year anniversary of the project between the
LPF and Fundación ProAves to save the critically endangered
Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis) in Colombia. The
population has made a dramatic recovery from only 81 birds in
1999 to more than 1000 now. To coincide with this anniversary, the
Yellow-eared Parrot was declared the official bird of the Municipality
of Jardin, in Antioquia, and it has been included in the design of
the new official shield. Futhermore, ProAves established a second
ecological easement, of 420 hectares, in which the land-owner
will plan future land use with the objective to preserve nature. The
easement is beside the existing Yellow-eared Parrot Bird Reserve
in Riosucio, Caldas, and is situated at 2,600-2,850 m elevation in
the humid mountain forest zone. This is
a critical site for Yellow-eared Parrot
reproduction and feeding especially due
to the presence of Quindío Wax palms
(Ceroxylon quinidiuense). ProAves also
established the first protected area, a
natural reserve of 607 ha, for endemic
and critically endangered Fuertes’s Parrot
(Hapalopsittaca fuertesi). At 2,277-3,908
m elevation in the Department of Quindío,
it establishes a strategic corridor of high
altitude forest for this species.
In neighbouring Ecuador, the project
to conserve the endangered El Oro
Parakeet (Pyrrhura orcesi) continued, with
sub-populations found additional to the
group in Buenaventura Reserve. A study
commenced with the University of Freiburg
to measure the effect of fragmentation
on the genetic variability. Further south, in the project partnered
with the Government of Peru, the population of the endangered
Grey-cheeked Parrot (Brotogeris pyrrhopterus) was shown to be in
worse condition. Several projects in Brazil had better news. In the
north-east of the country, the Lear’s Macaw (Anodorhynchus leari)
was down-listed in the IUCN Red List due to its excellent recovery.
1
Nest-boxes used in the Red-tailed Amazon (Amazona brasiliensis)
project produced 1.82 chicks per nest, 22% more than wild nests,
and the first reproduction occurred in Brazil’s Red-crowned Amazon
(Amazona rhodocorytha) captive breeding project.
LPF collection from Mexico, together with Gustav’s Parakeets
(Brotogeris cyanoptera gustavi), and White-headed Parrots (Pionus
seniloides), all offspring from successful reproduction in a Mexican
breeding centre. Another Spix’s Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii), a
founder male, was received from the Government of Brazil, as
were two female Lear’s Macaws (Anodorhynchus leari), transferred
from Busch Gardens, USA where they were hatched in 1984. Other
new-comers were Cape Parrots (Poicephalus robustus robustus),
Yellow-billed Amazons (Amazona collaria) and Bolivian Military
Macaws (Ara militaris boliviana). Palm Cockatoos (Probosciger
aterrimus) Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus
funereus) were successful breeders, and it was a good year for
breeding rare amazons.
Awareness and education
In Asia, the 1,563km2 Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary project
continued with its recruitment of local farmers to use sustainable
methods of cattle-ranching and cultivation of economically
important crops such as bamboo. A strong positive engagement
by the local communities means that there will be less pressure on
the sanctuary, and better conservation prospects for its magnificent
wildlife. The Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea)
project triggered the declaration of a new law in Masakambing
Island, Indonesia, to help protect the remaining handful of abbotti
subspecies individuals.
An important marine project
has been the updating
of the taxonomy of small
cetaceans and information
on their conservation status.
Promoted by the Convention
on Migratory Species (CMS),
and performed by the expert
in cetaceans Prof. Dr. Boris
Culik, this project has involved
compiling the taxonomic
biological and ecological
information on all small
cetaceans of the world.
In March, with the participation of the Education Department of the
City Council of Puerto de la Cruz, 50 representatives of different
Parent’s Associations from various schools of Tenerife and Gran
Canaria met in Loro Parque to learn about the free environmental
education activities of the Loro Parque Fundación. One rapidly
expanding activity involves the videoconferences where the LPF
educators connect on-line to schools and teach in real-time from
Loro Parque, using real animals. The participation reached 50
schools per week, involving some 1,750 in the year, with potentially
more than 60,000 school students enjoying the conferences.
As well as Tenerife, schools from other regions were registered,
amongst them being Valencia, Barcelona, Albacete and Asturias.
Included in the programme were workshops about gorillas, as
part of the 2009 Year of the Gorilla, marine turtles (by means of
an under-water webcam), sharks and different international days
Management of parrots in captivity
The LPF owns and manages the world’s largest, most diverse
parrot collection, and maintains this unique genetic reserve in
its own breeding centre. It is used to improve parrot welfare and
conservation, and for environmental education, through the
exhibition of parrots in Loro Parque. In the year, 1,214 parrot chicks
of 173 species and subspecies were leg-ringed, 9.4% more than
the previous year.
In September, Loro Parque opened a huge free-flight aviary,
"Katandra Treetops", with a space for free flight of 17,000 m3
which gives a wonderful new way to exhibit many parrot species
of the LPF collection, especially the lories. And for the first time
in a European Zoo, the Maroon-fronted Parrot (Rhynchopsitta
terrisi) is exhibited in Loro Parque. This species arrived into the
2
(of the sea, of the environment, etc.). The Education Department
also programmed the use of environmental enrichment techniques
with several different species in the park, deliberately involving the
public to explain the importance of this to the animals.
Research and training
The LPF celebrated World Environment Day with scientific meeting
in Loro Parque that included from 50 universities the representatives
for communicating research results. The research projects on
cetaceans and the marine environment continued, especially the
cetacean bioacoustics research that started in 2005 in collaboration
with the University of La Laguna. This research, using the orcas
(Orcinus orca) in Loro Parque, is to develop computer science
tools that can help researchers of cetaceans worldwide to process
field data much easier. The new system for concluded, and it only
records the events detected by the automatic detector, in this way
increasing the capacity of the system for information storage.
With a detection effectiveness of around 80%, it is an enormous
advance compared to previous detectors.
Practical training of university students continues through the year,
and the 11th German Parrot Workshop took place at the end of April
with a record number of 56 participants.
Recognitions and relations
LPF President, Wolfgang Kiessling, was awarded on 10th December
by the Council of Ministers of Spain the Gold Medal for Tourism Merit,
in recognition of his long and intensive work in leisure and tourism on
the island of Tenerife in the last 40 years. In addition, on 26 November
Mr. Kiessling was named winner of the “Entrepreneur of the Year
2009 "awarded at regional level by the international business services
consultant Ernst & Young.
Throughout the year the “Expo-Orca” project initiated by the Loro Parque
Fundación resulted in a lot of recognition for our work on the protection
of cetaceans and the oceans, especially in the Macaronesia region. In
this project a dozen famous Canarian painters and 8 social collectives
of the islands created different designs on 20 orca sculptures, which in
2009 have been display in different public spaces.
Also through 2009, the LPF was regularly featured on the programme
“Menschen, Tiere und Doktoren” (People, Animals and Doctors)
broadcast daily by the German TV station VOX. Primarily the viewers
are able to learn about the daily work of the biologists, veterinarians and
keepers, and have the opportunity to see behind the scenes.
The Loro Parque Fundación people
President
Wolfgang Kiessling, President, Loro Parque S.A.
Honorary Vice-Presidents
Dr. Wolfgang Grummt - former Director, Animal Park
Friedrichsfelde, Berlin, Germany
Dr. Wolf Michael Iwand – former Director, Department of
Corporate Environmental Management, Tui AG, Germany
Dr. Jorgen B Thomsen - Director, Conservation and
Sustainable Development, The MacArthur Foundation, USA
Board of Advisors:
Dr. Tomás de Azcárate y Bang - Head of Sustainable
Development, Ministry of Environment, Canary Islands, Spain
Dr. Susan L Clubb - Avian Veterinarian, Hurricane Aviaries, USA
Dr. Nigel J Collar- Leventis Fellow in Conservation Biology,
Cambridge University, BirdLife International, England
Povl Jorgensen - Aviculturist, Denmark
Dr. Ian R Swingland - Emeritus Professor Conservation
Biology; Founder, Durrell Institute of Conservation and
Ecology, England
Roland Wirth - President and Founder, Zoological Society for
the Conservation of Species and Populations, Germany
Board of Trustees
Wolfgang Kiessling, Brigitte Kiessling, Christoph Kiessling,
Isabell Kiessling, Jaime Rodríguez Cíe
Staff
Dr David Waugh, Director, Dr Javier Almunia, Deputy Director,
Dr Matthias Reinschmidt, Curator of Birds, Rafael Zamora,
Asst.Curator, Dr Sara Capelli, Dr Heinrich Müller, Dr Kirstin
Oberhäuser, Veterinary Department, Ruth Batista, María
Fernández, Education Department, Marta Mozzi, Secretary
3
LORO PARQUE FUNDACIÓN · Statement of Financial Activities 2009
Income
2009 (€)
2008 (€)
Diff, (%)
A, Donations Loro Parque: Conservation and breeding activities
447,672
435,551
+ 2.8
B, Donations Loro Parque: Breeding centre improvements
35,277
39,311
- 10.3
D, Net sales of surplus parrots for conservation benefit
465,371
393,845
+ 18.2
E, Net sales of promotional items for conservation benefit
338,543
314,256
+ 7.7
1,039,216
714,054
+ 45.5
G, Bank interest
301,771
272,386
+ 10.8
TOTAL INCOME
2,627,850
2,169,403
+ 21.1
H, Support to education, research and conservation projects
585,318
649,578
- 10.2
I, Conservation, breeding, education and research costs:
Personnel and administration
762,423
757,678
+ 0.6
J, Depreciation
67,901
67,901
0.0
L, Tax expenditure
29,536
17,041
+ 61.6
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
1,445,178
1,492,198
- 3.2
RESULT
1,182,672
677,205
+ 74.6
Assets
2009 (€)
2008 (€)
Dif, (%)
Land, buildings, machinery, other fixed assets
887,871
786,394
Parrot collection (original value)
555,996
555,996
F, Donations from sponsors, members, founders, other income
Expenditure
Balance Sheet 2009
Financial assets and merchandise stocks
9,389,764
8,335,933
10,833,631
9,678,323
Social Fund (Capital)
1,360,471
1,360,471
General Funds
9,408,607
8,225,935
Transitory funds
64,553
91,917
TOTAL FUNDS
10,833,631
9,678,323
TOTAL ASSETS
Funds
+ 14.4
+ 11.9
Summarised accounts for 31st December 2009, of the annual accounts of the Loro Parque Fundación, approved by the President and
Trustees on the 30th of June 2010 and deposited with the Ministry of Education and Science, Madrid
Who supports us?
Our Principal Sponsor:
The LPF can protect parrots, cetaceans, and many
other species and natural places due to the generous
support of many organisations and individuals. The
LPF greatly thanks its members, sponsors, project
funding partners and all other supporters for helping
it to protect some of the world’s natural treasures.
Because Loro Parque continues generously to cover
the LPF overheads, 100% of all other support received
was directly destined for our projects.
Versele-Laga|Kalise|Banca
March|Pepsi
(Embotelladora
de
Canarias)|Tui España|Banco Santander|Abaxis|Cepsa|CCC (Compañia cervecera de Canarias)|Encanto|Redisa|Fonteide Caja Ma
drid|Cash&Carry|Endesa|Albertos Perfums S.L.|Netzing solutions
AG|Fuentealta|Comercial Salamo|Dona Litografias Romero
Loro Parque Fundación
Avda. Loro Parque s/n, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
 +34 922 374081 · Fax: +34 922 373110,
E-mail: [email protected] · URL: www.loroparque-fundacion.org
Non-profit organisation registered with the Ministry of Education and Science, Madrid, Spain: Nº 264, 06.10.2005
4
PROJeCTS UP-DATe
Research and
Conservation
of the Great Green
Macaw in Southeast Nicaragua and
Northern Costa Rica
The Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus),
an impressive inhabitant of forest in the
Neotropics, is now struggling to survive.
Its wild populations have suffered very
rapid and continuing declines, suspected
to have been caused by extensive habitat
destruction and capture for the cagebird trade. Now very rare in four out of
six countries where it occurs, the total
population has been estimated between
1,000 and 2,500 birds, and it is included
in the 2010 IUCN Red List as Endangered
(BirdLife International 2010). It occurs
from Honduras through Nicaragua,
Costa Rica, Panama and north-west
Colombia, to western Ecuador where the
race guayaquilensis occurs. Great Green
Macaws mainly inhabit humid and wet
forests in lowlands and foothill, as well
as deciduous forests in south-western
Ecuador). They are found mainly below
600m, but can occur to 1,000 m and
occasionally 1,500 m in Darién, Panama.
As regards threats to the species,
annual deforestation rates are very high
throughout its range. In its South American
distribution, colonisation and development
of more remote areas happens through
infrastructural improvements, particularly
rapid expansion of the road network,
thereby increasing the impact of logging,
small-scale agriculture, illegal coca
Forest where Great green macaws occur
Map of the biological corridor that includes the project area
plantations, gold mining, and hunting.
Some key protected areas are even
affected, and urbanisation and agriculture
have largely extirpated the guayaquilensis
race. There is illegal capture for trade,
food and feathers. In Central America,
there is logging and forest conversion to
banana plantations and cattle-ranching,
and for example in Panama deforestation
in probably exceeds 30% of its original
distribution. The key tree species for the
macaw, the Mountain Almond tree (Dipteryx
panamensis) is selectively logged in Costa
Rica. To help combat this situation, in
2009 the Loro Parque Fundación started
its support for the project of research and
conservation of the Great Green Macaw in
south-east Nicaragua and northern Costa
Rica. The project directors are Guisselle
Monge Arias and Olivier Chassot of the
Tropical Science Center, based in San
José, Costa Rica, in partnership with
Fundación del Río, a Nicaraguan NGO
directed by Antonio Ruiz.
Before Guisselle and Olivier started to
do research on A. ambiguus in 1994,
little was known about the ecology of the
Great Green Macaw. While it was thought
to migrate seasonally and use a variety
of sub-habitats at different elevations, its
nest had not been described by scientists,
and its primary habitat and food sources
were largely unidentified. Their efforts to
focus attention on this area are important
because the last remaining nesting habitat
for the species in Nicaragua and Costa
Rica is located in a critical juncture of the
Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Thus
the macaw project integrates with other
ecological work for the conservation of this
biologically rich area.
Since the beginning of their research
in northern Costa Rica, the tasks have
included activities such as nest-watching
17
PROJECTS UP-DATE
Loss of forest due to
Loss of forest due to
to determine nest activity, nest productivity and nesting success, captures to mark and
monitor adult macaws with radio transmitters, monitoring to determine survival rate of
offspring, monitoring of migration movements to improve knowledge of migration range,
studies of life-cycle events (phenology) of trees to determine the Great Green Macaw’s
principal food source, as well as the training of young Latin American biologists to increase
professional capacity in the field of conservation biology.
At the same time the partnership has been leading pioneering conservation actions in the
Bi-national El Castillo-San Juan-La Selva Biological Corridor. This biological corridor of
340,067 hectares seeks to maintain a connection between forest patches and protected
areas of Costa Rica with the extensive complex of the South-east Nicaragua Biosphere
Reserve. The El Castillo-San Juan-La Selva Biological Corridor consolidates a total of 20
protected areas into one integrated biological unit that totals 1,311,182 hectares. The
small size of La Selva and surrounding Atlantic lowland forest patches, and their rapidly
increasing isolation from other lowland forest, seriously threatens the biodiversity of this
region. Connectivity between these fragments and the Indo-Maíz Reserve is essential for
the long-term viability of resident and migratory species. The corridor is a crucial bottleneck
for the entire Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Furthermore it is the only site in Central
America where a large, protected area of lowland Atlantic forest (Nicaragua’s Indio-Maíz
Reserve) has the potential to maintain an ecological connection between middle and high
elevation habitats (Costa Rica’s Braulio Carrillo National Park).
Great Green Macaws have large home ranges and migrate annually from their breeding
habitat in the lowlands to higher-elevation forests in Costa Rica during the postreproductive period, as well as northward, deep into Indio-Maíz Biological Reserve in
Nicaragua. A rough Great Green Macaw census was conducted in 1994 and revealed an
estimated population of 200 individuals and 25-35 breeding pairs for Costa Rica, while the
researchers estimated the total Nicaraguan-Costa Rica population around less than 900
individuals based on data collected in Costa Rica, although the status of the population
in Nicaragua is not well known. Since then the number of known nests of Great Green
Macaws in Nicaragua and Costa Rica has increased, and the current project has the task
to monitor them regularly during the breeding season in order to determine nest activity,
nest productivity and nesting success. In addition it will document seasonal movements of
the macaws, and conduct a census of the total Nicaraguan-Costa Rican population of A.
ambiguus. An additional and vital activity is to implement an awareness campaign based
on the Great Green Macaw.
18
By the end of 2009 Guisselle, Olivier
and their research team had been able
to monitor 62 out of 91 known nests. Of
these, 37 turned out to be active nests (9
in Nicaragua, 28 in Costa Rica), and 11
and 4 new nests were discovered in Costa
Large nesting trees are often isolated
Rica and Nicaragua respectively. The
proper assessment of each nest is both
physically and scientifically demanding,
with each nest requiring between 2 and 4
full days of field work. The population of
A. ambiguus in Nicaragua has its nests in
tree-cavities significantly higher (33.1m)
than those of the population of Costa
Rica (19.5m). A strong positive relation
between the height of the trees and
the height of the nests seems to exist in
the population of A. ambiguus of Costa
Rica, but in Nicaragua this relationship
is less evident. In neither Costa Rica nor
PROJECTS UP-DATE
The estimation of the abundance of Great
Green Macaws for Nicaragua census area
was 533 individuals, and for Costa Rican
area 297 individuals.
The results of the census have particular
importance as the estimates published
by BirdLife and IUCN are based on the
1994 estimate of Guiselle, Olivier and
colleagues at a time when deforestation
rates were at their highest. New findings
such as these will contribute to improve
analysis of the global population and
determine new trends. The most important
result is the confirmation of Guisselle and
Olivier’s hypothesis that the population of
Great Green Macaws has been increasing
since the first estimate was made in 1994.
Their new estimate for the abundance of
the Great Green Macaw in Nicaragua
and Costa Rica, including Indio-Maiz
Biological Reserve, is approximately 1,530
individuals, a significantly higher estimate
than the 871 one extrapolated from 1994
population data.
Nesting-tree situated inside the forest (centre of photo)
Preparing a net to cover the nest entrance
Nicaragua was there a preference for
the angle of the nesting cavities, but the
population of Nicaragua selected cavities
in trees with smaller diameter, and nested
solely in Mountain Almond trees. In Costa
Rica, active nests have been found in
the following tree species: Mountain
Almond (Dipteryx panamensis), Botarrama
(Vochysia ferruginea), Guanacaste Blanco
(Enterolobium schomburgkii), Caobilla
(Carapa nicaraguensis), and Cativo (Prioria
copaifera), with a very strong preference for
Mountain Almond. In the first part of 2010,
there were 98 known nests 4 new nests
found in Costa Rica and 3 in Nicaragua),
and the research team was able to monitor
69 of them, fewer resulting active this year
(10 in Nicaragua, 20 in Costa Rica). As
with every year, some nest-sites were lost
from different causes; invasive killer bees
(which even killed the nestlings in one nest
in 2010), broken supporting branches,
cavities filled with termite mounds, fallen
trees, etc. The annual rate of deliberate
cutting of nest-trees is 0.88 trees in Costa
Rica, and 0.6 trees in Nicaragua.
To conduct a census in 2009 of the total
Nicaraguan-Costa
Rican
population
of A. ambiguus, the researchers used
a technique consisting of locating
Shooting a line to ascend the tree by rope
Placing the net to cover the nest-hole
observers in key sites (fixed look-out
sites) throughout the distribution range of
the Great Green Macaw. At 28 sites, and
each with four repetitions, the observers
recorded the presence or absence of
Great Green Macaws. Each census took
place on a single day, from 05:00h to
17:00 h, during the breeding time of the
Great Green Macaw, and a total of 50
participants helped out during the four
censuses. Most sightings of macaws in
Nicaragua occurred between 06:00 and
07:00 h and 13:00 and 14:00 h, whereas in
Costa Rica a greater number of individuals
were reported at 06:00 h and 16:00 h.
Large macaws, including A. ambiguus
in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, are known
to move hundreds of kilometres, often
across large areas of high forest where
access for observers is difficult. These
seasonal movements frequently take
birds out of established protected areas,
so knowledge of the movements is vital
for developing effective conservation
strategies. Tracking the macaws from the
ground with radio telemetry has yielded
much information but is difficult and timeconsuming, and tracking them from the
air is expensive and logistically difficult.
To surmount these obstacles, satellite
telemetry is used for many non-psittacine
species, and since 2003 the Loro Parque
Fundación has worked with scientists and
manufacturers to develop small satellite
transmitters which are not destroyed by
large (>1000g) macaws, and have a
“drop-off” mechanism for when they no
longer transmit. In order to document the
breeding and post-breeding movements
of Great Green Macaws, the research team
Make-shift hiding place for the observers
19
PROJECTS UP-DATE
Removing an angry macaw from the net
has attached satellite transmitters (Argos avian satellite transmitter
collar manufactured by Telonics Inc, model TAV-2627) to 2 birds in
Nicaragua and 3 birds in Costa Rica, and data are currently being
gathered from the transmissions. During the tagging process the
weights of two adults were recorded as 1442g and 1540g, and
a brood with three well-grown chicks (1315g, 1280g, 1320g) was
recorded (three is unusually high).
festival promotes recreational, cultural, tourism, sports, theatrical
productions, folklore and musical groups, storytelling, poetry,
song, and photography contests, handicrafts and local cuisine.
An information kiosk about the Great Green Macaw has video
and cartoons for children, and gives prizes for Great Green and
Scarlet Macaw nest caretakers. The VIII festival took place on 2123 May 2010 in the rural community of Buena Vista, Río San Juan,
Nicaragua and, just like previous celebrations, was organised by
an alliance of several organizations of civil society. As Great Green
Macaws do not recognize borders, it is important for Costa Rica
and Nicaragua to continue efforts in order to raise awareness
about the need to maintain biological connectivity between forest
fragments in the northern zone of Costa Rica and the buffer zone
of Nicaragua’s Indio-Maíz Biological Reserve, thus ensuring the
viability of many resident and migrant species.
The awareness activities with local communities are essential to
gain understanding and long-term support. For example, during
the 2010 season the project suffered because some land owners,
who disagree with official conservation policies in northern Costa
Rica, refused to grant the researchers access to their properties
and to the nests that they harbour. Guisselle and Olivier’s field work
This captured macaw will receive a complete check
To implement and strengthen its environmental awareness
campaign using the Great Green Macaw as a flagship species,
the project has designed, printed and distributed 1,000 posters
and 1,500 stickers, and more will be distributed during future
phases of the project. Another important element of the awareness
campaign has been to organise and the Great Green Macaw Binational Festival, celebrated every year since 2002 alternatively in
Nicaragua and Costa Rica. This event gathers about 400 guests
from both countries, the majority of which are inhabitants of the
Great Green Macaw’s breeding range. It includes activities directed
to children, young people and adults, and one of the activities
provides economic recognition to local farmers that commit
themselves to protect, to conserve and to take care of the habitat
of the Great Green Macaw. Nest owners are visited by project
personnel with the objective to incorporate their participation in
conservation actions in the bi-national biological corridor. The
20
Poster of the conservation campaign
is difficult even under “normal” conditions, but lack of land-owner
cooperation increases the difficulty. However, they are committed
to intensify the struggle for the survival of this magnificent macaw
and its forest home.
Olivier Chassot will make a presentation of their work in the VII.
International Parrot Convention, 22-25 September 2010 in Puerto de la
Cruz, Tenerife.
BirdLife International (2010) Species factsheet: Ara
Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 26/7/2010
ambiguus.
PROJeCTS UP-DATe
Recent information
about Great Green
Macaws in Panama
Panama is situated in the centre of the
geographical distribution of the Great
Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus), and still has
some of the larger tracts of intact forest,
Although it is known that deforestation
and chick poaching for the pet market
are continuous and growing threats to
the Great Green Macaw in Panama,
unfortunately censuses and studies of the
species in that country have been lacking.
Therefore, the Loro Parque Fundación has
financed recent work (starting in 2009)
on this species in Panama, conducted
by Dr. Gwen Keller, assisted by Beatriz
Schmitt of the Fundación Avifauna Eugene
Eisenmann, This research is a contribution
towards determining the spatial distribution
of A. ambiguus, to obtain an estimate
of the numbers of separate populations
and individuals surviving in Panama, and
improving knowledge of the biology of the
species. It provides important information
for future A. ambiguus research and
conservation efforts that country.
In the course of their pilot project the
researchers obtained diverse information,
commencing with a compilation of data on
the historical distribution of Ara ambiguus in
Panama from museum records, published
literature and databases from the Panama
Audubon Society and the Panamanian
National Association for the Conservation
of Nature (ANCON). To these data they
added more records from their several field
trips to Cerro Hoya National Park (32,557
hectares) and Azuero Peninsula, Veraguas
Province and to Darien Province, as well as
verbal reports established during the fieldwork period. Difficulties of terrain in remote
and isolated foothills, weather and few
Forest habitat with Cuipo nest-trees
The extent of forest remaining in Panama in 2008
The Great Green Macaw in Panama:- circles: orange = current project observations, green = current verbal
reports, blue = other reports/museum data; orange question marks = unconfirmed
personnel precluded a census all areas of
potential Great Green Macaw habitat, and
therefore this is still work in progress.
Although there has been some impact
of hunting, the project has been able to
confirm that the current distribution of A.
ambiguus in Panama is reduced mainly by
habitat fragmentation and deforestation.
Figure 1 shows the extent of deforestation
until 2008, and the forests are still
disappearing quickly, diminishing by about
2% per year. These effects are greatest in
western and central Pacific slope provinces
where the annual dry season has facilitated
the almost complete removal of primary
forests for cattle pastures, rural agriculture
and timber harvest, and allows annual
burning to promote grasslands. Due to
higher rainfall and little to no dry season
on the Caribbean slope, the destruction of
Caribbean forests have proceeded more
slowly, though in recent years large tracts
of disturbed forest are now apparent. In
relation to this scenario, the researchers
have compiled a distribution map of the
species within the country (Figure 2),
showing in particular the isolation of the
population in the region of Cerro Hoya.
Observations of the macaws of the
Cerro Hoya population revealed several
interesting behaviours. First, breeding
pairs used holes in the trunks of large
Cuipo trees (Cavallanesia plantanafolia)
almost exclusively for nesting. This
species is also important to nesting Great
Green Macaws in Ecuador but is not
found in Costa Rica where the macaws
use mostly the Mountain Almond (Dipteryx
panamensis). This latter tree species also
occurs in Panama, but was not recorded
being used as a nesting tree. A comparison
of tree species used for nesting was made
between four different countries where
Great Green Macaws occur (Table 1).
Four tree species have been recorded in
Panama, and five in neighbouring Costa
Rica, but with zero overlap.
21
PROJECTS UP-DATE
Table 1. Comparison of tree species used for nesting by A. ambiguus in different
countries
Nesting tree species
Country
Scientific name
Local name
Anacardium excelsum
Espavé
X
Spondias mombin
Jobo
X
Cavanillesia platanifolia
Cuipo
X
Hura crepitans
Ceibo, Nono
X
Dipteryx panamensis (oleifera)
Almendro/a
X
Enterolobium schomburgkii
Guanacaste blanco
X
Prioria copaifera
Cativo
X
Carapa nicaraguensis
Caobilla
X
Vochysia ferruginea
Botarrama
X
9
CR
5
NIC
PAN
ECU
X
X
1
4
1
CR= Costa Rica; NIC= Nicaragua; PAN= Panama; ECU= Ecuador
Cuipo tree with occupied nest
The researchers also documented the food plant species of A. ambiguus in Panama,
again making a comparison with food plant records in other countries where this macaw is
found. In Panama, they directly observed the macaws feeding on 22 different genera and
species of food plant (the fruits and seeds), but an additional 38 genera and species are
found in Panama that the macaws have been recorded as eating in other countries (36 in
Costa Rica and 10 in Ecuador). In those three countries the combined food plants are of 65
species from 29 scientific families. In Panama the research team observed breeding pairs
feeding on Sand-box trees (Hura crepitans), a tree known for its toxic sap but also known
for its high protein and lipid content. Unlike in Peru for example, there are no reports of
macaws in Panama eating clay. In the month of June, large groups of up to 24 A. ambiguus
were observed in the Rio Cobachón area of the Azuero Peninsula, some feeding especially
in Nance (Byrsonima crassifolia) trees which have fruits rich in oil and vitamin C. In the
same area large groups (9-14) of macaws were observed in January apparently playing,
and given that this is the beginning of the breeding season, pairs of macaws were also
seen flying together.
macaw nests over the past several years
in the Rio Cobachón area. Four were active,
where macaws were either exploring or
nesting. One at 230m above sea-level was
located 22m from the ground in a Cuipo
tree 35m tall with a basal circumference
of 4.5 m. The nest-hole appeared to be
not less than 1m deep and there was one
accessible branch just above the hole. The
nest was continuously occupied by a pair A.
ambiguus during the entire January to March
2009 observation period, and the behaviour
of the pair indicated the preparation of the
nest. A check of this nest in June confirmed
the fledging of two young.
A pair of macaws at the nest
Researchers observing macaws at the nest
Due to local climatic variations, the habitat south-west Azuero peninsula where the
researchers located nests varies from semi-deciduous forests with high Cuipo and Bursera
trees in the drier eastern foothills, to evergreen mixed hardwood forests in the west that
include Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) and Nispero (Manilkara sp). Visiting the area
between early January and late March, the researchers investigated five trees that had
22
The second nest was also in a large Cuipo
tree which had lost its crown and was
hollow from the top. On two occasions up
to 6 macaws were observed on or near this
tree, but one pair seemed to be dominant.
In the day the tree was usually abandoned
until mid-afternoon when the macaws
would return to investigate the tree. A
pair of Collared forest falcons (Micrastur
semitorquatus) were seen harassing a pair
of macaws until they drove them away from
the hole and into nearby branches. On one
occasion the falcons entered the nest and
stayed while a pair of macaws waited in
the branches nearby. Over time the battle
between the macaws and the falcons
PROJECTS UP-DATE
Forest remnants in cattle-grazing area
continued and it appeared that
neither was able to nest here.
A third nest in a Cuipo tree had
no activity until March when a
pair of macaws appeared to
be preparing their nest. The
presumed male would fly off for
long periods of time while the
presumed female stayed in the
nest. When the male returned,
the female would fly out to meet
him and stay outside the nest
with him for long periods of
time (> 15 minutes). In March
the forest on the hillside was
burned, reaching the base of
the nest-tree, but otherwise
Adult Great Green Macaw
not affecting it. We await an
update on the fate this nest. The final active nest was in the hollow
trunk of a burned out Espavé (Anacardium excelsum) tree located
in the upper valley. In early January two pairs of macaws were
investigating it. One pair was sitting at a distance protesting loudly
while the other pair investigated the tree hole for about 30 minutes.
When the pair left this tree, the second pair of macaws flew in and
explored the nest. However, it appears finally no macaws nested
in this tree.
The foothills of Cerro Hoya are outside the national park’s
boundary are privately owned and grazed by cattle, although
patches of forest remain in the valleys between the hills. Great
Green Macaws visit these patches, and the greatest number
of observed by the researchers in any one day was 9, with at
least 2 seen every day. However, every year at the beginning of
dry season in early December a flock of 20 – 30 green macaws
appears at one site for a few days to eat the seeds of cedar tree
(Cedrela odorata). The researchers also explored the remote Piro
and Ventana river valleys in the extreme south-western corner of
the peninsula, which has high rainfall and more extensive forests
with large Espavé trees suitable for Great Green Macaws. Few
macaws were seen or heard, and these extensive forests no
doubt provide more choices of food and cover, so that the birds
in this area may not be concentrated at scarce food resources as
they are in more altered habitats.
Indigenous Panamanian at the base of typical nest-tree in Darien
In the foothills of the Darien the forest was extensive, dense,
and rich in plant diversity with a variety of seeds and fruits on
the forest floor. The research team located Great Green Macaws
by sound and sight daily but they are difficult to follow, always
flying overhead except for one sighting of a pair perched in a
Dipteryx tree. According to the local people, the macaws show
up seasonally to feed in these forests and are not found here
year around. Because of the difficult terrain, much more work
needs to be done in this area to learn more about the habitats
of the macaws in Darien. Gwen Keller also conducted extensive
interviews with local people, the results of which indicate
migratory behaviour of this species. Thus, further investigation
is needed to understand the range and routes of migrations, and
the patterns of habitat use by Great Green Macaws populations
in different regions of Panama in order to conserve the species
in this country.
23
PROJECTS UP-DATE
An encouraging expansion of the
Philippine Cockatoo Conservation
Programme
For many years the Loro Parque Fundación has been supporting
the Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Programme (PCCP) which,
with the involvement of all key stakeholders, aims to conserve
and restore the most viable subpopulations of this “Critically
Endangered” species Cacatua haematuropygia and its habitats.
The PCCP is run by the Philippine-based Katala Foundation, and
the supporting partners are Chester Zoo, CEPA - Conservation
des Espèces et des Populations Animales (including ZooParc de
Beauval) and ZGAP (Zoological Society for the Conservation of
Species and Populations). The Philippine Cockatoo is restricted
to lowland forest areas and mangroves in the Philippines.
Formerly, it could be found all over the archipelago, but in the last
few decades of the last century habitat destruction and poaching
caused a rapid decline to the brink of extinction. However, in
the capable hands of Dr. Peter and Indira Widmann, Dr. Sabine
Schoppe and the rest of the PCCP team, there has already been
a ten-fold increase (to 220+) in the population of wild Philippine
Cockatoos on Rasa Island, the main stronghold in Palawan and
the Philippines for this species. The other important locations in
Palawan where the PCCP has been working for some years are
the island of Dumaran, and the Culasian Managed Resource
Protected Area in the district of Rizal
Checking the nest of Philippine cockatoos
More recently, the island of Pandanan, at the southern tip of Palawan in the district of Balabac, was identified as an additional important
site for the cockatoo, and the PCCP has begun working there to assess the situation, with the objective to implant the same conservation
model used so successfully on Rasa Island. In January 2010 the PCCP was granted permission by the Palawan Council for Sustainable
Development to include Pandanan Island as a project site, and the Katala team has reported on developments during the first half of the
year. One of the first actions was to convene a meeting with the Jewelmer Corporation, the major land-owner in Pandanan to make an
agreement for cooperation in the project. Then, as early as February, the PCCP team had confirmed Philippine cockatoo hatchlings on
Pandanan. In total six nest trees were occupied out of 11 identified, one new nest tree Pometia pinnata was discovered. Fifteen hatchlings
successfully fledged with leg bands, and all hatchlings were free from ecto-parasites and healthy, although supplementary feeding was
given to one brood with four hatchlings. As a sign of the work to be done, unfortunately two cockatoo hatchlings were poached from a
known nest tree, as confirmed by local wardens and residents. The team continued to monitor 12 potential cockatoo nest trees, most of
them being either Dracontomelon dao or P. pinnata.
During nest monitoring, the wardens documented several
occasions of illegal tree cutting, and at one place found about
300 homemade snares, possibly intended for roosting cockatoos,
which were destroyed after documentation. At a traditional
roosting site in nearby Manas, counts yielded 35 individuals
in April, and in the same month 2-12 cockatoos were observed
roosting at another site (So. Dalahican) in a coconut growing area
where human settlements are also located. Two Blue-naped parrot
(Tanygnathus lucionensis) hatchlings were also monitored, of
which one successfully fledged.
The equally important work with the local communities has also
been on-going, mostly in Kamilit area, where meetings and focus
group discussions have been held with the with tribal community.
Village market and school visits to explain about the cockatoo
and the PCCP were also conducted reaching a total of 140 island
residents. Katala Fun Day, an awareness tool successfully used
elsewhere for the PCCP, was conducted in celebration of the
Pandanan District Festival, with children especially encouraged to
take part in the lectures, games, colouring activity, face painting
and quizzes. Another vital element of the PCCP is to stimulate
alternative incomes for local people who otherwise might sell
cockatoo chicks for income. Six families showed interest in
24
Rescued cockatoo chicks
backyard gardening as alternative income, and the PCCP provided
them with basic gardening equipment and planting materials, and
they have already been able to harvest vegetables. As in other
project sites, the local wardens (formerly cockatoo poachers) who
have been recruited to the PCCP do not have formal education,
and therefore the PCCP’s site coordinator is spending a lot of time
to assist them in making accurate reports.
PROJeCTS UP-DATe
At the longer-established sites of the PCCP,
many activities have been undertaken in
2010. On Rasa Island a total of 25 nest
trees were occupied, but this has been an
El Niño year of extreme drought, which has
a big impact on the cockatoo breeding.
of which 15 produced hatchlings. A total
of 51 eggs were recorded in 15 nests,
of which 15 infertile/unviable, 12 went
missing due to predation or other cause,
and 24 hatched.
Example of cockatoo food, very scarce
in the El Niño year
A session of training for the wardens
Of these, 19 hatchings died from starvation
or mite infestation, and nests which were
infested with mites were treated. The high
number of infertile eggs is possibly due
to unfavourable food conditions for the
breeding pairs before laying. By 30th April
the five remaining hatchlings had to be
rescued for supplemental feeding.
breeding. There is a highly significant
correlation between rainfall and fruiting
intensity between the months of January,
and the availability of fruits is important
during the breeding season. The local
wardens have observed this year that
parent birds were not often around their
nests during patrols, and the extreme
A flock of Philippine Cockatoos
Artificial nests to install in trees for the cockatoos
The drought is possibly worse than in
2005, another El Niño year, when there was
a similar negative impact on the cockatoo
conditions during these periods in 2005
and 2010 are almost certainly responsible
for the breeding failure of cockatoos on
Rasa. The PCCP team installed feeding
stations on Rasa to help adult birds cope
with the lack of food, and put water basins
in strategic areas to ensure water supply
for the birds. Roost counts and mainland
counts have continued, to keep track of
adult birds. The highest count within the
period was 188 individuals in January
at the traditional roost site. On mainland
Narra, the highest count was observed in
February with 112 individuals at Marcelo
area in Panacan.
On Dumaran Island, up to April there were
no more than four nests occupied with
only seven eggs and two hatchlings. Out
of seven eggs, one was infertile and three
were missing probably predated or thrown
out of the nest by Hill mynas, a competing
cavity dweller. More data on phenology and
rainfall need to be analysed to compare
with Rasa Island and to confirm whether
or not a long dry season greatly affected
the breeding activities in Dumaran. In
the same period on the island the PCCP
team monitored four hatchlings of Bluenaped parrots, and two eggs and one
hatchling of the Blue-headed Racquet-tail
(Prioniturus platenae).
Despite the set-back caused by the El
Niño phenomenon, the PCCP is making
a promising expansion which is already
producing positive results for the Philippine
Cockatoo.
25
PROJECTS UP-DATE
The status in
Peru of the Blueheaded Macaw
The Blue-headed Macaw
(Primolius
=
Propyrrhura
couloni) is an attractive macaw
of medium size that occurs in
eastern Peru, extreme western
Brazil,
and
north-western
Bolivia. It lives at the edge
of humid lowland evergreen
forest, along rivers and at the
edges of forest clearings, in
some localities even close
to human settlements. In
Brazil, being valuable and
in high demand owing to its
perceived rarity. Reported
international trade is low but
apparently increasing, with
three specimens in 1993 but
55 birds in 2000. Of 150 traded
birds reported for this period,
as many as 50 were recorded
as traded illegally. Like other
macaw species, it has a
relatively low reproductive
rate, and illegal harvesting
could pose a serious threat.
Much of the forest within its
geographical distribution is
still intact, but mining and
drilling for gas continues, as
does the expansion of the
logging industry, although
the species may benefit from
some clearance due to its
habitat preference (BirdLife
International 2010).
Somewhat
related
to
uncertainty about its real status,
the Blue-headed Macaw was
gathering more information
about the species in the wild,
including conducting a survey
for this species throughout its
range to obtain quantitative
population estimates, and
to develop an appropriate
census methodology for this
purpose. Also recommended
are to determine the degree
to which this species occurs
in protected areas, and
Protected areas (green) with their
whether further such areas
buffer zones (yellow), showing the
need gazetting, to support
extent of connectivity
the enforcement of legislation
preventing international trade, and to raise awareness among local
people of the need to conserve this species.
In response to these recommendations, in 2008 the Loro Parque
Fundación (LPF) signed an agreement with the Government of
Peru to study the species in that country, where the majority of
the population is found. The framework of collaboration is between
LPF and SERNANP (National Service of Protected Natural Areas of
the State) and aims to define the methods to determine the density
of population in key sites, determine the level of illegal trade of
this macaw, and promote local social awareness regarding the
illegal trafficking of birds. The actions for the conservation of this
species of macaw agree with the recommendations of the CITES
Management Authority of Spain.
The technical team, led by biologist Marina Rosales Benites, has
reviewed all the results of studies that researchers have made of
this species in the last ten years. It has also analyzed the records
of natural protected areas, to help determine its distribution in
Peru, and the characteristics of its habitat and feeding. The work
of the team include determining estimates of their abundance,
characteristics of reproduction, the main threats to its conservation
inside and outside the protected areas, and finally to determine its
conservation status.
Typical lowland wet tropical forest habitat for the Blue-headed Macaw
flooded forest it prefers
habitat with palms of Mauritia
flexuosa. It is mainly a species
of the lowlands, occurring
up to 1,550m elevation. Its
presence throughout its known
geographical
distribution
seems to vary considerably,
being common in some
locations and scarce or absent
in others, and also seasonal
in some places and resident
in others. This variability has
made difficult any accurate
estimate of its population
size, and has caused it to be
considered a rare species.
Certainly it is a species
that could face threats. It
can be found in markets in
26
placed in the “Endangered”
category of the IUCN Red
List, and in 2003 was moved
from Appendix 2 to Appendix
1 of CITES. However, a recent
comprehensive review of all
known records of this species
in the wild estimated the
current population as between
9,200 and 46,000 individuals,
considerably
higher
than
previous estimates (Tobias
and Brightsmith 2007). On the
basis of this work, in 2010 the
Blue-headed Macaw has been
down-listed to Vulnerable in
the IUCN Red List (BirdLife
International 2010). However,
at the same time there are
several recommendations for
According to reports from researchers, this species is recorded
in fifteen natural protected areas and/or their buffer zones,
covering a total of 107,273.4 km2 of the total area of geographical
distribution (Table 1 and Figure 1). This area represents 23.3% of
the area of occupancy of 460,000 km2 projected by Tobias and
Brightsmith (2007), who also calculated an extent of occurrence
of 600,000 km2.
Table 1. The protected areas of Peru where P. couloni occurs
Protected Área
km2
Protected Área
km2
P. N. Cordillera Azul
13531,9
R.C. Yanesha
347,4
P.N. Manu
17163,0
R.C. El Sira
6164,1
P.N. Alto Purus
25106,9
R.C. Amarakaeri
4023,4
P.N. Otishi (Zona amort.)
3059,7
R.C. Ashaninka
1844,7
P.N. Yanachaga Chemillen
1220,0
R.N. Tambopata
2746,9
P.N. Bahuaja Sonene
10914,2
S.N. Magantoni
2158,7
R.C. Machiguenga
2189,1
Z.R. Sierra del Divisor
14783,1
R.C. Purus
2020,3
Total
107273,4
P.N: National Park, R.C: Communal Reserve, R.N: National Reserve, S.N:
National Sanctuary, Z.R: Reserved Zone.
PROJeCTS UP-DATe
The importance of the buffer
zones to increase connectivity
in four blocks of these
protected natural areas should
de stressed (Figure 1).
are recorded consuming clay at clay-licks in Peru and, although it is
assumed that this activity has the same importance as for other species
of parrots in the same area, the abundance indices do not confirm a
clear relationship with the presence or absence of clay-licks (Table 2).
Table 2. Relative abundance of the populations of P. couloni and
the presence of clay-licks in protected natural areas of Peru.
Natural Protected Area
Blue-headed Macaws at a clay-lick.
Author: Mark Stafford
As
regards
the
relative
abundance of P. couloni, as a first
approximation we can compare
the size of flocks in space and
time, and also the number of
specimens encountered per
hour. The flocks with highest
numbers occur between June
and October, usually travelling
in pairs or three individuals.
Juveniles have been observed
from April to July. Evaluations
undertaken by means of indices
in relation to time in different
years, in three different sites,
show the greatest abundances of
0.45 (December), 0.87 (January)
and 1.1 (August) individuals per
hour. The records of flocks made
in protected natural areas show
variability in relative abundance
(Table 2). Individuals of P. couloni
Relative
abundance
Presence
of clay-licks
High
Yes
P.N. Manu
Medium
Yes
P.N. Alto Purus
nest to remove the chicks,
collect fruits or sell the wood.
In the Amarakaeri Communal
Reserve the capture of P.
couloni to use their feathers
has been reported.
Medium
Yes
Low
No
Author: Joe Tobias
High
No
P.N. Bahuaja Sonene
Medium
Yes
R.C. Machiguenga
Medium
Yes
R.C. Purus
There is still much to learn
about this enigmatic macaw,
but by means of this project
we are gradually obtaining the
biological and anthropological
information to define its
status in the wild, and apply
the appropriate conservation
measures.
Medium
Yes
R.C. Yanesha
Low
No
R.C. El Yesra
Low
Yes
R.C. Amarakaeri
Low
No
R.C. Ashaninka
Medium
Yes
R.N. Tambopata
Medium - Low
Yes
S.N. Magantoni
Low
Yes
Z.R. Yeserra del Divisor
N.I
Yes
High: More than 10 individuals per flock · Medium: 4 to10 individuals
per flock · Low: 2 to 4 individuals per flock · N.I: Not identified.
Despite being protected areas, the responsible authorities register
activities within their borders. The threats reported by SERNANP
are detailed in Table 3, the main ones being the illegal capture of
macaws for sale as pets and shifting cultivation. Another important
set of threats is formed by the felling of trees where the macaws
BirdLife
International
(2010)
Species factsheet: Primolius
couloni. Downloaded from http://
www.birdlife.org on 26/7/2010
Tobias, J., and D. J. Brightsmith
(2007) Distribution, ecology
and concervation status of the
Blue-headed Macaw Primolius
couloni. Biological Conservation
139: 126-138.
Table 3 .- Identification of the threats (X) to P. couloni in protected natural areas.
Illegal capture for sale
as pets/
Illegal trade
Felling of
trees to
remove
chicks
Subsistence hunting
for
consumption
Felling of trees
where nests
exist to sell the
timber
Shifting cultivation
Pollution
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
P.N. Manu1
X
X
X
X
P.N. Alto Purus
X
X
X
X
X
X
Natural Protected Area
P.N. Bahuaja Sonene
NO
X
X
X
NO
R.C. Machiguenga
R.C. Purus
X
NO
NO
X
X
X
NO
NO
X
R.C. Yanesha
X
X
X
R.C. El Sira
X
R.C. Amarakaeri
X
R.C. Ashaninka
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
R.N. Tambopata2
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
S.N. Magantoni
X
X
X
X
Z.R. Sierra del Divisor
X
1: Tourism due to generating high-decibel noise on ships. 2: Threats outside the Tambopata RN.
NO: no threats have been identified within the protected area.
27
PROJECTS UP-DATE
Helping to avoid conflict between
citrus agriculture and parrots on
Dominica
Conflict between parrots and agriculture is a growing, unstudied
threat to conservation throughout the Caribbean. On the island
of Dominica, the two endemic globally threatened parrots, the
Imperial Parrot (Amazona imperialis) and Red-necked Parrot
(Amazona arausiaca), are an important cause of crop losses for
farmers of citrus. Here, conflict between the these threatened
parrots and citrus farmers is a potentially serious obstacle
to advancing the gains made over the last three decades in
Dominica’s parrot conservation programmes. While the state of
conflict is considered serious, the current situation on Dominica is
one of complete absence of empirical data on either the extent or
severity of the (real or perceived) economic losses experienced by
farmers due to parrots, or the degree to which the resulting conflict
has produced a backlash against parrot conservation. What are
the causes of citrus fruit loss and what is role of parrots in these
losses? What is the geographic distribution of the conflict, and are
there are environmental variables that can predict where parrot
frugivory occurs? How do these crop losses influence the wider
avian community?
Red-necked Amazon
whole. Because public attitudes are vital
in understanding conflict and addressing
its conservation implications, the project is
also documenting stakeholder knowledge,
perceptions, and attitude.
Imperial Amazon
In 2009/2010, the Loro Parque Fundación
has been financing a project which aims to
collect the data to answer these questions.
The project is being undertaken by native
West Indian Leo Douglas, affiliated
to the American Museum of Natural
History. Leo’s task is to determine the
economic importance of parrot frugivory
relative to other causes of fruit loss in
citrus agriculture. He is assessing the
importance of environmental variables
in explaining the pattern and distribution
of parrot frugivory. Leo is also exploring
the possible relationship between the
quantity of parrot damage of citrus fruits,
and the abundance and body condition of
passerine birds in the citrus-growing areas.
Because passerine birds also produce
significant crop losses on citrus farms, this
component is important in understanding
the causes and consequences of crop
losses experienced by farmers as a
28
Leo is conducting his research on nine
active citrus farms that range between 1.2
and 6 hectares in size, all within the citrus
agriculture areas of Dominica within the
rainforest belt of the island. All these farms
are immediately adjacent to either natural
or old secondary growth rainforest. Each
farm has no less than 25 fruiting citrus
trees. Weekly visits have been made to the
farms, during a seven month period that
due to weather, disease, or poor husbandry
practices such as insufficient nutrient input,
and senescence and spoilage due to a
lack of market access, acceptable price,
appropriate storage, or food processing
capabilities. He has conducted 214
structured and semi-structured interviews
across four primary stakeholder groups
related to the parrot-agriculture conflict and
parrot conservation. The four groups are
affected farmers; unaffected farmers; the
general “unaffected” public; and Ministry
of Agriculture personnel (including the
Division of Forestry, Wildlife, and Parks).
Thus, he is gradually compiling a complete
set of data on land-use, farm-management
Leo Douglas interviews a citrus farmer
includes the harvesting, to collect data
on fruit damage cause by the parrots and
other birds. At the same time Leo collects
information on the extent of fallen citrus fruit
practice, and environmental variables, for
eventual analysis to determine and predict
the extent of crop loss due to parrots and
other identified causes on the island.
PROJeCTS UP-DATe
fruit loss varies geographically, and is most
severe on citrus farms surrounding the
Morne Diablotin National Park in the northcentral section of the island. These results
have created interest in further studies of the
relationship between parrot damage of citrus
fruits and citrus seed abundance, and also
of the importance of local food sources for
parrots in determining the levels of damage.
Preliminary analysis indicates that parrots
choose citrus trees within citrus orchards
that produce fruits with an abundance of
seeds. These results can provide valuable
insights towards the development of citrus
varieties that are less attractive for parrots.
Researching other birds that eat citrus fruits
At each study farm, Leo has first made an estimation of citrus fruit standing crop on each
tree randomly selected in the project. Then for each citrus variety (Tangerine, Grapefruit,
Valencia, Washington-navel, Ortanique oranges) a weekly recording is made of fruit loss
on the tree (clearly distinguishable by “bite-characteristics”) eaten by parrots, passerine
birds, and other animals (not birds). At the same time Leo records fruit loss on the ground,
again as eaten by parrots, passerines and other animals, as well as uneaten fruits. He
records the dates on which fruits are harvested for sale and has retrieved from the farmer’s
records the number of fruits harvested and the market price received. His collection of data
has always ended when all of the fruits are either harvested, show evidence of frugivory, or
have fallen to the ground.
A grapefruit eaten by an amazon parrot
Leo’s research is still on-going, but three
of the more important lessons can already
be mentioned. The results show that there
are several important causes of citrus crop
loss on Dominica, the most serious of which
are damage due to a fungal disease known
as Citrus Brown Rot, a fruit-eating moth,
rodents, theft, natural fruit split, inclement
weather, and parrots. Leo has found that
the importance of parrots as a cause of
From Leo’s interviews of stakeholders it is
clear that the changing socio-economics
of agriculture on Dominica has contributed
to the current state of conflict. Dominica’s
parrots did not eat banana fruits, which
were the basis of the economy on the
island between the 1950s and 1990s. The
loss of market protection for bananas in the
European Union, due to challenges by the
World Trade Organization, caused farmers to
invest over the past 15 years in other crops,
notably citrus fruits. Given that Dominica’s
parrots do eat citrus fruits, the conflict
between citrus farmers and parrots is a result
of the shift in the agro-economy produced
by global free trade policies. The results of
this project are intended to contribute to
Dominica’s national plan for protected areas,
and will be institutionalized in the responsible
government agencies. Furthermore, the
results of this study will provide lessons and
research guidelines important for managing
similar conflict across the region and thus will
be of immediate relevance for Latin America
and Caribbean conservation efforts.
A Red-necked Amazon feeding on grapefruits
29
A case of Constricted Toe Syndrome surgically resolved
Introduction
A young chick of Pearly Conure (Pyrrhura perlata) – 27 days old - was
presented because of progressive swelling of the distal extremity
of the third toe of the right foot. A fibrotic ring was observed around
the first phalanx of the finger, impinging on the blood supply to and
from the distal tissues and causing a severe oedema (illustration
1). The lesion was easily identified as a Constricted Toe Syndrome.
Following surgery, a hydroactive dressing should be applied to
prevent the formation of additional fibres or scabs. If the circulation
loss is severe and there is evidence of necrotic degeneration of
the distal tissues, amputation should be suggested after all other
therapies have failed. In this particular case, no medical treatment
was suggested by the clinic and surgical solution was elected.
Description of the syndrome
Description of the surgical procedure
The young Pyrrhura was anesthetized using inhalatory isofluoran
(Isoba Vet®), and analgesic pre-medication with meloxicam was
also given (Loxicom®, 0,2mg/kg IM). The foot was prepared using
routine surgical technique, with alcohol 96% and povidone-iodine
(Betadine®). Two longitudinal incisions were made through the
full thickness of the skin on both dorsal and palmar sides of the
digit, respectively medially and laterally to the middle-line, using a
common 15-size scalpel (illustration 2). An immediate release of
retained blood from the distal segment was indicative of a good
prognosis for saving the toe from avascular necrosis.
The swollen toe
Constricted toe syndrome has been recognized for years by
parrot breeders (even if it can also affect small birds such as
passeriformes) and has been quite often described in the veterinary
literature. A similar syndrome has been reported in the human
pediatric medical literature, known as Toe-Tourniquet Syndrome.
The parrot constricted toe syndrome clinically appears as an
annular constrictive lesion around one or more toes, apparently
caused by some sort of string or fibre. The constriction typically
occurs at the last phalanx and most frequently affects the lateral
toes, even though it can affect any segment and any toe. Distal
to the constriction the toe will first appear oedematous and then
dark blue to become necrotic because of the vascular interruption
caused by the fibrotic ring. The aetiology is not concretely known,
although many hypotheses have been made which have not been
exhaustively tested. It might be likely that a too low humidity level
is the cause: the toes of a parrot are covered by multiple layers
of keratinized epithelium that give the skin the aspect of scales;
a dry environment can cause a ring of the skin to dry and begin
to contract, progressively limiting the blood circulation like a
tourniquet until severe oedema and necrosis occur. Some authors
suggest that the constriction could be prevented by keeping the
susceptible species on non-desiccating surfaces, and by keeping
the humidity above 50-60%. Other possible aetiologies which have
been suggested are bacterial infections, hypersensitivity reactions,
fungal toxins, viral infections, egg-related strictures, ergot-like
intoxication, nutritional deficiencies and genetic predisposition.
Popular treatments for the syndrome include massage with warm
water baths, topical dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) applications and
antibiotic therapy. However, the only therapy for concrete resolution
of the syndrome seems to be surgical. It consists of the execution
of one or several deep incisions in the skin where the fibrotic ring
is located, in order to release the constriction. In small birds, an
operating microscope and microsurgical forceps could be useful.
30
The surgical procedure
Cutting the skin, the annular
fibrous band of connective
tissue was perfectly visible
and his re-section was
vindicated
(illustration
2: arrow). The skin was
sutured making two simple
interrupted sutures on each
side of the constriction
(proximally and distally)
using
4-0
absorbable
synthetic suturing material
(poliglicolic acid, Safil®).
The recovery phase
The toe was bandaged
using a biosynthetic wound dressing (BioDres®) and routine
bandage materials (illustration 3). The bandage was removed in five
days and the complete restitution of the normal blood circulation
was successfully proved. The animal was checked again three
weeks after the surgery and even though the constriction line was
still visible as a color and thickness modification of the skin, the
functionality of the toe was absolute (illustrations 4 and 5). The bird
fledged normally (illustration 6).
The recovered toe
Discussion
Being so simple and quick, surgical treatment seems to be the
best therapy for a Constricting Toe Syndrome of this gravity. If
the diagnosis and the therapy are well-timed and no irreversible
avascular processes are engaged, the surgical treatment permits
complete recuperation of the affected toe, although the lesion
can easily reappear in the future. In cases of less gravity, when
the constriction is just slightly visible but no severe oedema has
appeared, a less invasive surgical treatment or even a medical
treatment could resolve the problem.
The healthy parakeet
Even though the standard recommended surgical treatment,
according to the literature, contemplates two lateral incisions on the
affected digit in order to respect the tendinous and neuro-vascular
packs, the execution of dorso-medial and ventro-lateral incisionseasier to suture and in no way more risky - assures a complete and
satisfying resolution of the syndrome. Some authors also suggest
making a circumferential anastomosis (blood connection) over the
constriction to provide skin apposition (growth), but suturing solely
the longitudinal surgical incisions as we did seems to be sufficient
and highly effective in removing the vascular impediment.
The bird attained independence normally
Bibliography
Harrison G.J.; Harrison L.R. (eds): Clinical avian medicine and surgery. W.B. Saunders Co, 1994.
McElroy K.: Eclectus parrots: everything about purchase, care, feeding, and housing. Barron’s Educational Series; 2002.
Merck Veterinary Manual, 2008
Ritchie B.W.; Harrison G.J; Harrison L. R. (eds): Avian medicine: principles and application. Wingers Publishing, 1994.
Schubot R.M.; Clubb K.J.; Clubb S.L: Psittacine aviculture. Perspectives, techniques and research. Avicultural Breeding and Research Center ;1992.
Soucek G.:The parrot breeder’s answer book. Barron’s Educational Series, 2001.
Judy Leach’s parrots website: http://www.petparrot.com/Injuries.htm#Constricted%20Toe
NetPets website: http://www.netpets.org/birds/healthspa/vet/eclectus2.html
Jacopo Cesare (Dr Med Vet), Elena Campesi (Dr Med Vet), Kirstin Oberhäuser (Dr Med Vet, PhD), Heinrich Müller (Dr Med Vet) Sara Capelli (Dr Med Vet)
31
The Yellow-faced Amazon
The Yellow-faced Amazon (Amazona xanthops) is a little known
species of parrot in which few owners and breeders have
been interested in the past. It can look at first glance like other
small Amazon species, the size being very similar to a Whitefronted Amazon (Amazona albifrons), but differentiated by
quieter behaviour, but prone to panic activity if frightened. Using
mitochondrial DNA sequence data RUSELLO & AMATA (2004)
were able to confirm that it does not belong to the genus Amazona,
but is in a separate monotypic genus (Alipiopsitta) CAPARROZ &
DURARTE (2006) consider that is closer to the genus Pionus or
Graydidascalus (Short-tailed Parrot). Whether this assessment for
the Yellow-faced Parrot, which received the new German common
name “Ribeiropapagei” (“Stream Amazon”), can prevail in the long
term remains to be seen.
Adult Yellow-faced Amazon
General
The short-tailed Yellow-faced Amazon, about 27 cm long, lives in eastern and southern Brazil, only just extending to the north-central
Bolivia, and occasionally straying to the far north of Paraguay. It lives in thorn bush savanna, dry forests and dry scrub habitat, below 300 m
above sea level. The IUCN classifies the Yellow-faced Parrot as a “Near-threatened” (a threat), and its population could still include about
10,000 birds. In particular, habitat destruction caused by conversion of the landscape for extensive livestock farming, cultivation of soy,
peanuts and forest monocultures limits the original habitat. The year-round Mauritia fruiting palms (Mauritia flexuosa) are probably a major
component of the diet. Occasionally, agricultural land under mangos, guavas or pomegranates is also visited. Concerning its breeding
biology in the wild, so far almost nothing is known.
Captivity
The Yellow-faced Amazon is one of the
very rarely held parrot species, which have
always been established only sporadically
and have never been very popular among
breeders. There is a wide variability in
the expression of the so-called yellow
belly, because there are specimens with
all yellow, and orange-red bellies, and
others with a total green belly. The various
expressions of colour have nothing to do
with subspecies. All colours are of a single
species without splitting into subspecies.
Thus, within broods it is also important
not only to breed yellow forms, since
one inevitably causes artificial selection
which is not happening in the wild. Birds
should be bred regardless of the yellow
expression, thus obtaining in the offspring
the expression all forms of yellow and other
natural variants.
The Yellow-bellied Amazon is not
recommended as a pet bird, due to the
rarity of the species in captivity, and all
birds should be used for breeding, with the
conditions in aviaries most suitable for this
purpose.
Amazon species is barely kept as a pet in
its South American home.
As regards the voice, the Yellow-faced
Amazon is one of the quieter Amazon
species that rarely makes any use of
its voice. Linguistic talent of the Yellowfaced Parrot has been scarcely reported,
and perhaps this is one reason why this
Because of its rarity and its difficulty to
breed, this Amazon species this should
be reserved for the advanced breeder.
Moreover, the Yellow-faced Amazon is
most likely to be one of the somewhat
more sensitive Amazon species.
32
Typical habitat of the Yellow-faced Amazon
Accommodation
The optimal accommodation for the Yellowfaced Amazon is a free-standing outdoor
aviary made of metal, with adjoining
heated sheltered area. This should be
heated in the winter to between 10 ° C
and 15 ° C minimum, so that these heatloving Amazons feel comfortable in the
cold season. Staying in the outdoor aviary
should be allowed only on sunny days
above 8 ° C, although always the birds
must be able to retreat into the interior area
to warm up. Yellow-faced Amazons are
very agile fliers, so you should build the
aviary as large as possible for this small
parrot, with a long flight to the meet the
birds’ needs.
In the first place, single breeding pairs
should be established, which in the
Loro Parque Fundacion (LPF) has been
implemented form a long time ago. About
holding Yellow-faced Amazons as a group
during the breeding season, currently
there is no experience, but this would be
an interesting aspect worth trying in the
future. The Yellow-faced Amazon is a more
peaceful Amazon species, and thus the
risk of a group test in a sufficiently large
aviary appears rather low.
Feeding
feeding, which consists of a mixture of
dry grains (Amazon mix of the company
Versele-Laga). If there are chicks in
the nest, small pieces of fresh corn on
the cob are given in the morning and
afternoon in addition. Feeding the Yellowfaced Amazon complies with the general
information on Amazon feeding extensively
made in Volume 1 Amazons of ARNDT &
Reinschmidt (2006), although you can
expand the fruit and vegetable content
of these parrots to up to 70% of the total
amount of feed, as they eat this food with
pleasure. Without exercise, Yellow-faced
Amazons become obese very easily. The
body weight of the Yellow-bellied Amazon
is between 200 g and 240 g.
Breeding
The world’s first breeding of the Yellowfaced Amazon was achieved by Pedro
Nardelli in 1984 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In
1987 the Walsrode bird park in Germany,
succeeded with the first European
breeding.
cage about 2.2 m height so that the aviary
is about 1.2 m above the ground. Although
the aggressiveness of the animals during
the breeding season is slightly elevated,
it never comes to any attack against the
keeper or the bird’s own partner. In the
LPF, the Yellow-bellied Amazon is bred
regularly in small numbers, with only two
breeding pairs currently producing young,
but with more breeding pairs whose eggs
were not fertilized. The first clutch can be
removed for artificial incubation, but it
should be noted that in very few cases is a
replacement clutch laid.
The clutch size in the LPF is 1-3 eggs with
an average of 2.33 eggs per clutch (n =
3). In the Walsrode Bird Park there were
four clutches, one in which the eggs were
measured. The average egg size was
3.805 cm x 2.825 cm (n = 4). In the LPF
the hatching weight of chicks averaged 9.7
g (n = 5), with the lightest chick 9.3 g and
the heaviest 10.4 g. The young fledge at
about 50-55 days. The ring size is 9.5 mm.
Hand rearing
The Yellow-faced Amazon is probably
the most difficult Amazon species to
breed, and successful breeding has been
reported rarely. The birds are expected to
reproduce early, in the female as early as
the second year of life, and certainly the
male is sexually mature at the age of three.
A recent laying female in the LPF was
only two years old. Starting in February,
you can count on the first eggs from the
Yellow-faced Amazon, as they are always
among the first Amazon species to begin
incubating.
Juvenile of the green-bellied morph
In the Loro Parque Fundacion, the
Amazons are fed twice a day. In the first
feeding in the morning, served at 08.00,
the diet consists of fresh food. The basis
is a fruit and vegetable salad of at least
6-8 different varieties, always with apple,
pear and carrot, the other varieties varying
according to season. During the breeding
season from February to August, to this
food is added a cooked food mix (Parrot
Dinner Versele-Laga), which is soft and
easy to digest rapidly, therefore also
being suitable for feeding young and
important because of the slightly higher
protein content to stimulate breeding. At
14.00 the Amazons receive the second
Yellow-faced Amazons present no
difficulties in hand-raising, and chicks can
be reared from day one on a standard
commercial rearing diet, usually without
problems.
Hand-reared juveniles are tame and
trusting but, because of the rarity of this
species, should all be committed to
breeding, and not disappear as pet birds
in living-rooms.
The nest can be a little smaller than the
usual Amazon nest-box. An area of 20
cm x 20 cm and a height of 60 cm to 80
cm is sufficient. The entrance hole is large
enough at 8 cm diameter. Wood chips
used as bedding, and these are often
manipulated by the breeding birds. The
newly hatched chicks have intense yellow
down feathers, as compared to the whitish
down of all other Amazon species. This
is similar to the juveniles of the chicks of
Short-tailed Parrots, its close relationship
to the Yellow-bellied Amazon mentioned
above.
Natural breeding
In the Loro Parque Fundacion, the Yellowbellied Amazons are housed for breeding
in pairs in 3 m long hanging aviaries, the
enclosures being one meter high and one
meter wide, with the upper edge of the
Juvenile of the green-bellied morph
33
Mutations
So far, only an olive form of the Yellowfaced Amazon is known.
Additional aspects
Repeatedly in mature breeding males a
bald spot at the front of the head appears.
No feathers grow here any longer, and
the skin colour is very intense pink. So
far there are no real explanations for this
phenomenon. In the LPF this occurs in
about half of adult males and is always
located in the same area of the head. This
has absolutely nothing to do with plucking!
We strongly suspect that this is a sign of
breeding condition. Once featherless,
these males have so far never again
become feathered on the bare patch, even
after the breeding season! It remains to
be seen whether recent findings will reveal
more in the future.
Juvenile of the yellow-bellied morph
Other observations
All birds of this species should now be kept for
breeding purposes and to multiply attempts to
keep Yellow-faced Amazons in captivity, because
not all mature pairs are successfully breeding and
the species is generally difficult to breed. The longterm conservation of the species depends on future
successes. Currently in European zoos, only 31
animals are kept, 17 of them in the LPF in Tenerife,
and this also reflects the low interest of zoos. The
species seems not currently in immediate danger
in the wild, but it is nevertheless worth keeping in
the aviaries for in the long term to create a genetic
reserve for this species in captivity.
A mature male with breeding season feather loss from the face
In the breeding statistics reported from the AZ
in the period 2000 and 2001, only seven holders
bred Yellow-faced Amazons. This low number can
also be a very limiting in the distribution to other
breeders. All remaining birds should necessarily
receive the greatest attention, and be kept under
optimum conditions that allow for breeding in the
long term. This is to build self-sustaining breeding
stock in Europe, with no more expectation that
more birds taken from the wild will come to Europe.
Literature
Arndt, T. & M. Reinschmidt (2006): Amazonen. Band 1. Arndt-Verlag. Bretten.
Arndt, T. & M. Reinschmidt (2009): Amazonen. Band 2. Arndt-Verlag. Bretten.
Caparroz, R., A.V. Stachissini and J. M. B. Duarte (1993): Análise cariotipica da espécie Amazona xanthops. In: XVII Congresso Brasileiro e l Incontro
internacional de Zoológicos do Brasil, 1993.
Hoppe, D. (2007): Ribeiropapagei - ein neuer Name für die Gelbbauchamazone. Gefiederte Welt, Vol. 131. S. 173-176 + 210-213.
Reinschmidt, M. (2000): Kunstbrut und Handaufzucht von Sittichen und Papageien. Arndt-Verlag. Bretten.
Russello, M. A. & Amato, G., (2004): A molecular phylogeny of Amazona: Implications for Neotropical parrot biogeography, taxonomy, and
conservation. Mol. Phylog. Evol. 30:421-437.
Dr. Matthias Reinschmidt
34
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Cyanopsitta Magazine.. - Loro Parque Fundación

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